Trump launches fresh attack on key western allies in early-morning Twitter tirade

'Fair trade is now to be called fool trade if it is not reciprocal,' tweets president

French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe speaking to US Presidend Donald Trump during the second day of the G7 meeting in Charlevoix, Canada. Looking on is US National Security Advisor John R. Bolton. (EPA)

Donald Trump has vented anger at the European Union and Canada in a string of early-morning tweets, as relations between the US and its closest allies continue to sour following the divisive G7 summit.

In his latest Twitter tirade, the president claimed the US paid “close to the entire cost of Nato” to help protect countries that “rip us off on trade”.

“Fair trade is now to be called fool trade if it is not reciprocal,” said Mr Trump, after flying from the summit in Canada to Singapore for a historic meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.

“Sorry, we cannot let our friends, or enemies, take advantage of us on trade anymore,” he added. “We must put the American worker first!”

The president attacked Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau personally, branding him “very dishonest and weak” and suggesting he “acts hurt when called out”.

The US earlier pulled out of a previously agreed G7 communique after Mr Trudeau vowed to “move forward with retaliatory measures” in response to US steel and aluminium tariffs.

The joint statement, signed by France, Germany, the UK, Japan, Italy, and Canada, called for “free, fair and mutually beneficial trade” and pledged to fight against protectionism.

On Sunday Peter Navarro, a trade adviser to Mr Trump, launched an extraordinary attack on the Canadian leader, whom he described as “weak” and “dishonest.”

“There’s a special place in hell for any foreign leader that engages in bad faith diplomacy with President Donald J. Trump and then tries to stab him in the back on the way out the door,” he told Fox News.

“That’s what bad faith Justin Trudeau did with that stunt press conference. That’s what weak, dishonest Justin Trudeau did.”

The president’s tweets early on Monday morning escalated the row further and appeared to be aimed at voters who support his “America first” agenda.

“Why should I, as president of the United States, allow countries to continue to make massive trade surpluses, as they have for decades, while our farmers, workers and taxpayers have such a big and unfair price to pay?” he said.

”Not fair to the people of America! $800 billion trade deficit.”

The prospect of Mr Trump moving towards an even more protectionist trade policy is likely to chill financial markets worried that tit-for-tit escalation could lead to a full-blown global trade war.

The president also lambasted fellow Nato members for paying disproportionately less than the US to maintain the western military alliance.

He tweeted: “The US pays close to the entire cost of Nato – protecting many of these same countries that rip us off on trade (they pay only a fraction of the cost – and laugh!). The European Union had a $151 billion surplus – should pay much more for military!”

“Germany pays 1 per cent (slowly) of GDP towards Nato, while we pay 4 percent of a much larger GDP. Does anybody believe that makes sense?

“We protect Europe (which is good) at great financial loss, and then get unfairly clobbered on trade. Change is coming!”

Mr Trump concluded his tirade against American allies by turning his attention to an attempt to forge new links, tweeting of his “excitement” to be in Singapore to meet Mr Kim.

Mr Trudeau has not responded to the president’s attack, but he was backed by other world leaders.

A UK government source said Theresa May, the British prime minister, was “fully supportive” of the Canadian leader, while European Council president Donald Tusk tweeted: “There is a special place in heaven for Justin Trudeau.”

Canada’s foreign minister, Chrystia Freeland, said her nation “does not conduct its diplomacy through ad hominem attacks”.