Donald Trump’s G7 Summit behavior fuels diplomatic tensions

U.S. President Donald Trump attended the Group of Seven meeting in Evian‑les‑Bains, France, where the summit’s start was delayed to accommodate his 80th‑birthday celebrations. He arrived late, made jokes about being “the boss,” and received overt deference from European leaders who sought to keep him appeased and maintain U.S. support for Ukraine and the Iran cease‑fire deal.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni broke with most allies by openly criticizing Trump, calling him a liar and warning him about his poll numbers, while other leaders such as France’s Emmanuel Macron, Germany’s Friedrich Merz and the United Kingdom’s Keir Starmer took a more conciliatory approach. The summit produced a commercial‑inequality agenda focusing on China, reaffirmed backing for Ukraine, and highlighted the Iran agreement, but climate change was largely omitted to avoid provoking the U.S. president. The episode underscores the strain within the G7 as members balance strategic cooperation with managing Trump’s unpredictable conduct.