EDITORIAL – Like father like son, standing up to the American bully

IT WOULD BE so easy to blame Justin Trudeau for the blow-up of the G7 economic conference, to say it’s all his fault that everything fell apart after Donald Trump jumped on an airplane to Singapore.

But only Trump is to blame for his latest temper tantrum. The man is a braggart, a liar, a narcissist and a bully.

The U.S. president, who so values unquestioned loyalty above all else, has no sense of loyalty or decency of his own. You are his friend only as long as you’re subservient.

Suddenly, Trudeau is “weak” and “dishonest.” It’s reminiscent of Richard Nixon calling Pierre Trudeau an S.O.B., a “pompous egghead” and other less flattering names when the elder Trudeau stood up to him on trade issues.

It’s laughable to hear the White House insisting Trump won’t be “pushed around” by Justin Trudeau, and trying to blame him for the possible failure of NAFTA.

Trump’s toadies dispense with all credibility when they call Trudeau’s comments about the “insulting” new tariffs on Canada’s steel and aluminum “nothing short of an attack” on the U.S. political system and bizarrely suggest Trudeau may have damaged the chances of a peace deal with North Korea.

Nobody’s buying that brand of BS, and it’s gratifying to see politics set aside on this one issue in favour of a united front against the American bully. Opposition leader Andrew Scheer is one of those resisting the urge to pile on, as are Green Party leader Elizabeth May, Alberta Conservative leader Jason Kenney, former prime minister Stephen Harper and even Ontario premier-elect Doug Ford.

Leaders of other G7 countries are also onside, calling Trump’s about-turn on their agreement depressing and even incoherent.

Donald Trump doesn’t know who his friends are and that’s why he no longer has any. He’s not to be trusted on just about anything he says.

We have to stand behind our prime minister — just as we did many years ago — in steadfastly placing blame where it deserves to be, and that’s in Washington.

Mel Rothenburger’s Armchair Mayor editorials appear Mondays through Thursdays on CFJC- TV. His Armchair Mayor column is published Saturdays on ArmchairMayor.ca and CFJC Today. Contact him at mrothenburger@armchairmayor.ca.