03/13/2025

We will call Marco – Marco Polo in this game of tag!

A red carpet was rolled out to a river to welcome the arrival of United States president James Monroe in 1821.^[2] In 1902, the New York Central Railroad began using plush crimson carpets to direct people as they boarded their 20th Century Limited passenger train. This is believed to be the origin of the phrase “red-carpet treatment”

The invitation is a big deal!

The term “don’t look a gift horse in the mouth” means don’t be ungrateful if someone gives you a gift. More specifically, it means do not question the value of a gift as doing so could imply that you had hoped for a better gift, which could offender the giver.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio disembarks from a military airplane upon arrival at Quebec City Jean Lesage© AP

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio might not feel the warmest of welcomes at the G7 Foreign Ministers meeting this week, hinted by the diminutive red carpet laid out upon his arrival.

Landing in La Malbaie, Quebec, amidst the scenic embrace of the St. Lawrence River for the G7 Summit, Rubio was greeted by the Canadians with what could be perceived as a sly nod to the current trade tension – a notably small red carpet, befitting someone from President Trump’s administration.

The petite welcome mat made its appearance in photos capturing Rubio’s descent from the aircraft’s stairs—a sight that gained some social media traction, with one tweet playfully commenting: “I can’t sleep either. I’m trying to find things to laugh at like this tiny red carpet they put out for Rubio when he arrived for the G7.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaks to the media during a refueling stop at Shannon Airport in Shannon, Ireland, on Wednesday, March 12, 2025. (Saul Loeb/Pool Photo via AP)© AFP or licensors

Rubio’s arrival coincides with the fresh implementation of Trump’s contentious steel and aluminum tariffs, igniting countermeasures from both the European Union and Canada, and sparking fears of an escalating trade war with some of America’s closest allies.

Over the following 48 hours, Rubio is slated to deliberate with senior diplomats from Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, and Japan—nations that have each felt the sting of the new U.S. administration’s stance on trade, reports the Irish Star.Related video: Rubio arrives in Canada for G7 summit amid tariff tensions (Scripps News

Rubio arrives in Canada for G7 summit amid tariff tensions/

Senator Rubio is bracing for a storm of criticism over Trump’s contentious decisions from previously amicable nations at the G7, especially from host Canada. Trump has been notably confrontational towards Canada, with continuous suggestions of it becoming the 51st U.S. state, imposing additional tariffs, and hurling repeated barbs at its leaders.

Canadian Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly, who will be engaging with each delegate one-on-one as the official host, has made it clear that “in every single meeting, I will raise the issue of tariffs to coordinate a response with the Europeans and to put pressure on the Americans.

“The only constant in this unjustifiable trade war seems to be President Trump’s talk of annexing our country through economic coercion,” Joly commented on Wednesday. “Yesterday, he called our border a fictional line and repeated his disrespectful 51st state rhetoric.”

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio disembarks from a military airplane upon arrival at Quebec City Jean Lesage International Airport in Quebec, Canada, March 12, 2025, as he travels to a G7 Foreign Ministers meeting. (Saul Loeb/Pool Photo via AP)© AFP or licensors

Attempting to mitigate the impact of Trump’s 51st state” comments from Wednesday, Senator Rubio suggested that the president was merely expressing what he thought could be a positive idea.

Rubio clarified that the focus of the upcoming G7 summit is not on any schemes to annex Canada but rather on urgent matters such as Ukraine, among other mutual interests.

Regarding the tariff issue, Rubio, speaking to journalists during a refueling stop in Ireland en route to Canada from meetings with Ukrainian officials in Saudi Arabia, underscored that they are part of Trump’s “policy decision” designed to protect American competitiveness.

Insisting on a forward-looking agenda, Rubio declared, “I think it is quite possible that we could do these things and at the same time deal in a constructive way with our allies and friends and partners on all the other issues that we work together on,” and further voiced his expectations for productive outcomes from the G7 and Canada.

When questioned about the reception he might receive from international peers, Rubio shrugged off any concerns: “I don’t know, should I be? I mean, they’ve invited us to come. We intend to go. The alternative is to not go. I think that would actually make things worse, not better.”

kommonsentsjane