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(Bloomberg) — At a Canadian mountain retreat, some of the US’s closest allies tried to divine over private conversations and public interactions where Secretary of State Marco Rubio really stands vis-a-vis his boss.

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It was no easy feat. The top US diplomat had to contend with President Donald Trump’s moves to impose 25% tariffs on global steel and aluminum, the threats of 200% tariffs on European alcohol and the insistence that Canada become the 51st state.

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The setting — Charlevoix, Quebec for a meeting of the group’s foreign ministers — amped up the tension even further. This is where Trump ripped up the G-7 communique back in his first term.

Yet both in front of the cameras and behind the scenes, Rubio maintained comity with his counterparts, tamping down worries from some officials that he might be tempted to play a more disruptive role, according to people familiar with the matter, who asked not to be identified discussing private meetings. 

Instead, the G-7 agreed to a communique out of the meeting, overcoming early fears that US resistance over language on Ukraine, the Middle East and other matters would scotch the statement, which carries no legal weight but is meant to be a symbolic show of unity. 

“This was a good meeting of friends, and friends also tell each other honestly how they see things differently,” German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said. Rubio agreed. 

It was another example of the tricky balancing act Rubio has had to perform as Trump’s top diplomat, both delivering his boss’s more combative “America First” message while also looking to cultivate allies and gather support for US priorities via groups like the G-7.

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“Rubio has had to walk a fine line on maintaining that economic policy promoted by Trump,” said Torrey Taussig, a former Biden administration official who is now director of the Atlantic Council’s Transatlantic Security Initiative. “The bottom line is that it’s in no one’s interest to show disunity coming out of this G-7.” 

Another mystery diplomats tried to solve was the status of Rubio’s relationship with Trump, and how much sway he has in the wake of recent reports suggesting a tenuous relationship with Elon Musk, the special adviser who is leading the charge to slash the federal workforce. 

The New York Times said last week that Rubio clashed with Musk at the White House, with the world’s richest man reportedly jeering Rubio for failing to carry out sweeping staff cuts. 

The State Department declined to comment. But a senior US official said Rubio is close to the president and he took the job of secretary of state because he agrees with Trump’s priorities. 

Rubio Makes Nice on First Trip Abroad But Keeps an Eye on Trump

Ministers discussed contentious issues with Rubio, including Trump’s tariffs and his stated desire to acquire the Panama Canal, Greenland and Canada. Other members tried to make clear to Rubio that China would be happy to jump in if US should cut trade relations with its allies.

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The US official, who asked not to be identified discussing private deliberations, said Rubio had candid conversations with G-7 counterparts, and the conversations were valuable because they made clear the US position at a time when Trump is making major shifts on policy linked to Ukraine and trade. The person said Rubio sought to make clear what Trump has said publicly — that US trade relationships have become too unequal.

At one meeting, Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Joly told Rubio the pens were made with Quebec aluminum — a jab at Trump’s push to impose 25% on the metal from Canada and other countries. Rubio quipped that he hoped he wouldn’t have to pay a tariff.

And he later swatted aside Trump’s comments about Canadian statehood.

“There’s disagreement between the president’s position and the position of the Canadian government,” Rubio told reporters as the event wrapped up. “I don’t think that’s a mystery coming in, and it wasn’t a topic of conversation.”

There were limits, however. Rubio, who had just flown in from Saudi Arabia, didn’t join a gathering on Wednesday night where ministers made s’mores around an open fire in below-freezing temperatures. He skipped a session the next day where his counterparts made taffy out of maple syrup.

Joly focused on the positives at the end of the meeting, saying there was a “great deal of unity” within the G-7. But she also made clear that there was more diplomacy to do, describing their conversations as “blunt” and “frank.”

“Of course, Canada’s sovereignty is not up for debate, and we had a long conversation on tariffs and trade,” she said.

—With assistance from David Gura, Iain Marlow and Eric Martin.

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