As President Trump rebuffed and insulted our closest allies before, during and after the recent Group of Seven debacle in Quebec, his craven apologists have attempted to rationalize this blatant attempt to undermine our postwar economic and strategic alliances and to dismantle the rules-based world trade system that has prevented trade wars from becoming shooting wars ever since the devastation of the World War II and the Great Depression.

It’s dangerous nonsense, and they know better. Yet, congressional leadership is largely silent, though many know that something is badly wrong here. Senator John McCain (R-Ariz.), now in the twilight of his career in public service and perhaps his patriotic life, was right to try to reassure our allies that “Americans stand with you, even if our president doesn’t.”...

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Ambassador C. Donald Johnson served as Ambassador to the Office of United States Trade Representative from 1998 to 2000. He also served the Chief Textile Negotiator during the negotiation of the U.S.-China WTO Accession Agreement and the U.S.-Cambodia Textile Agreement. From 1993 to 1995, he represented the 10th district of Georgia as a Member of Congress where he focused on national security and international economic policy, including NAFTA and the WTO implementing legislation. Ambassador Johnson is currently Director Emeritus of the Dean Rusk International Law Center at the University of Georgia School of Law.