During the summit, Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly criticized the US trade war as “unjustified and unjustifiable”. China has called for dialogue with Washington to resolve trade tensions. President Trump has accused Ireland of stealing the US pharmaceutical industry and tax revenue.

The US administration quietly cleared all remaining migrants from the American military base at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba this week. The secretary of state, Marco Rubio, defended the detention of Mahmoud Khalil, a legal permanent resident of the United States who took part in student protests against Israel’s assault on Gaza, by claiming, without evidence, that the Columbia graduate student was “a big supporter of Hamas”. As his administration moves to gut the Department of Education, Trump levied an attack on employees at federal agency, accusing them of being lazy.

Secretary Rubio's diplomatic visit to Canada occurred amidst escalating trade disputes. Such high-level meetings often signal attempts to manage crises or recalibrate international partnerships in response to emerging news.