White House adviser says Canada's Trudeau 'stabbed us in the back'

WASHINGTON, - White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow accused Canada on Sunday of making "polarizing" statements about the United States' trade policy, and said President Donald Trump had to pull out of a joint G7 statement because the Canadian president had "stabbed us in the back."

It was an unprecedented attack on the leader of the U.S. neighbor and ally.

Trudeau said he had reiterated to Trump that tariffs would harm industries and workers on both sides of the U.S.-Canada border. He said unleashing retaliatory measures ``is not something I relish doing'' but that he wouldn't hesitate to do so because ``I will always protect Canadian workers and Canadian interests.''



The annual G-7 summit appeared to have weathered tensions over President Donald Trump's threats of a tariff-fueled trade war until the mercurial American pulled out of a joint statement while citing ``false statements'' by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

The summit came during an ongoing trade dispute with China and served as a precursor to the unprecedented meeting with Kim, in which Trump has sought to extend a hand to the Asian autocrat who has long bedeviled the international order.