America's G20 Is Off to a Solid Start. December Is the Real Test
Under the U.S. presidency, G20 trade ministers agreed on a statement against weaponizing food but split on forced labor and overcapacity. In our view, the agenda is the right one, and the Doral ethics question should be settled with full disclosure.
By Clara Hughes
ALTAS WORLD NEWS OPINION | By Clara Hughes, Senior Features Writer | October 5, 2026 | 6-min read For the first time since 2009, the world's biggest economies are coming to America [5]. And this year, in our view, the G20 has an agenda most working people could explain over coffee: cut red tape, keep energy affordable and win the technology race. Last week, in Milwaukee and Washington, President Trump's G20 got down to business. In our view, the early results are promising, and the hard parts are still ahead. Key Takeaways The U.S. presidency has set three core themes: limiting regulatory burdens, affordable and secure energy supply chains, and innovation in AI and emerging technologies [1]. At the Sept. 30–Oct. 1 trade ministerial in Milwaukee, the trade ministers taking part reached consensus on a statement against the "weaponization of food." They did not agree on forced labor or excess industrial capacity [2][3]. The leaders' summit is Dec. 14–15 at Trump National Doral, near Miami. Critics have raised ethics concerns, and we address them below [2][4][9]. The G20 is a club of the world's major economies, plus the European Union and the African Union [4]. America holds the presidency this year. That means Washington sets the agenda, picks the venues and decides who gets a seat at the table. In our view, the agenda President Trump has chosen is the right one. What Happened Last Week U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer chaired the G20 trade ministers' meeting in Milwaukee on Sept. 30 and Oct. 1 [2]. In his chair's statement, he called it "a success." He said: "It is especially significant that the entire G20 was able to reach consensus on the statement on the weaponization of food through coercive trade actions" [3]. Greer said side meetings on global diesel supplies "contributed to the anticipated release of more diesel into the global market" [3]. With fuel prices high, that matters to every trucker and farmer in America. He was also candid about what did n…