Trump: ‘We’ve been very good to our allies’

President Trump on Thursday asserted that the United States has been “very good” to its allies during his presidency as he arrived in Japan for his first meeting of the Group of 20 (G-20) summit.

Trump touched down late Friday local time in Osaka and then joined Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison for a working dinner. The president was asked by a member of the Australian media whether he’s aware that his “America First” agenda has had an adverse effect on some allies.{mosads}

“I think I can say very easily that we’ve been very good to our allies,” Trump said. “We work with our allies. We take care of our allies. Generally speaking, I’ve inherited massive trade deficits with our allies. And we even help our allies militarily.”

The president emphasized the strength of the U.S.-Australia relationship, referring specifically to trade negotiations between the two sides.

But Trump has broken with key allies on foreign policy decisions involving Iran and climate change, and has repeatedly questioned the United States’s role in protecting other nations militarily.

The president has chided NATO allies for failing to contribute more to defense spending, and earlier this week said other countries should be responsible for defending their own shipping equipment in the Middle East.

Trump has further roiled allies like Japan, Canada, Mexico and the European Union with protectionist trade policies, imposing tariffs or threatening to impose tariffs as a bargaining tool to renegotiate trade deals or secure other concessions.

The president will be in Japan for the G-20 for the next two days, where he will meet with the heads of state of Japan, India, Germany, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and China. Trump will then travel to South Korea for a meeting with President Moon Jae-in.

Iran, North Korea, and China are likely to be on the agenda for many of his bilateral meetings with other world leaders.