Once Dominant, the United States Finds Itself Isolated at G-20
But on Friday, when President Trump met with other leaders at the Group of 20 conference, he found the United States isolated on everything from trade to climate change,
and faced with the prospect of the group’s issuing a statement on Saturday that lays bare how the United States stands alone.
“Ultimately the economy will lose.”
On Friday, Cecilia Malmstrom, the European trade commissioner, warned the Trump administration
that new tariffs would face a challenge in the World Trade Organization.
“But what I would like to tell you is that within a few days — we won’t need two months for that — we could react with countermeasures.”
The Italian prime minister, Paolo Gentiloni, warned
that new protectionist trade measures could bring “contagion” that would slow the growth of the world economy.
Michael Strain, an economist at the conservative American Enterprise Institute, worries
that retaliation from China and Europe to any steel tariffs would be particularly painful for American exporters and could lead to job cuts when Mr. Trump is trying to bolster employment and labor force participation.
