In Kananaskis, the G7 held together, but showed signs of strain

After Prime Minister Mark Carney and President Donald Trump met one-on-one for 30 minutes on Monday morning, but before their respective teams joined to continue the discussion, the two leaders invited reporters and television cameras into a meeting room in Kananaskis, Alta. to witness them exchanging formal pleasantries.

Carney opened by wishing the president a happy belated birthday and then noted the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Army (the reason for Trump's military parade in Washington this past weekend). The prime minister then segued to the fact this was the 50th anniversary of these meetings of the leaders of the world's most powerful democracies.

"And the G7 is nothing without U.S. leadership, your personal leadership, leadership of the U.S.," Carney said.

In fairness, Carney also told German Chancellor Friedrich Merz that "we'd be nowhere without Germany and without you personally" and he said that French President Emmanuel Macron, the current dean of the G7 leaders, offered "essential" leadership. But perhaps, given the context, this suggestion to Trump resonates differently.

On one level, this no doubt flattered the president, personally. Perhaps it could even be read as an entreaty for the United States to remain engaged and allied with the nations of the G7. 

On another level, it might read as a simple statement of the obvious — about the central, historic importance of the United States to the G7, about American influence over a body that operates on consensus or about the simple mathematical reality that the G7 without the United States would be the G6.

On a higher level, Carney's comments might have spoken to the central tension of this week's meetings in Kananaskis and the larger questions about the G7's utility and future in a world where Trump is president of the United States. 

On a different level, there is also the question of whether the United States still wants to lead — or in what direction and in what ways. 

Some or all of this might be said to have hung over the two days of meetings that Carney chaired in Alberta — two days that highlighted both the potential value and the real strains of a grouping that at least made it through its 50th meeting without falling apart.

Indeed, moments after Carney's opening comments, the challenge of finding consensus became loudly apparent when Trump, unprompted, began to lament (again) that Russia was expelled from what had been the G8 in 2014. When a reporter asked him whether China should also be invited, Trump agreed.

Carney, appearing increasingly eager to get on with the rest of his meeting with the president, finally stepped forward and encouraged reporters to be on their way.

At that point, the 50th meeting of the Group of Seven was still an hour or so away from officially beginning — shortly after concluding his meeting with Trump, Carney would go outside to officially welcome each leader to the summit. 

"We're gathering at one of those turning points in history. A turning point where the world looks to this table for leadership," Carney said, perhaps a little hopefully, when the leaders gathered around a circular table inside to begin their formal talks. "We might not agree on absolutely every issue, but where we will cooperate, we will make an enormous difference, for our citizens and for the world." 

Approximately 12 hours later, Trump departed by helicopter, pleading that he needed to return to Washington urgently to deal with the Israel-Iran conflict.