President Trump will attend the G7 leaders’ meeting in France in June to discuss artificial intelligence, trade, and crime-fighting, a White House official told Axios. The decision ends weeks of speculation about whether the president would skip the gathering due to his growing frustration with key allies.
It is customary for U.S. leaders to attend the annual summits, but Trump’s attendance was not a sure thing. His anger has been mounting toward G7 members like the United Kingdom, France, Germany, and Italy for not aligning with his war effort in Iran. No European countries have aided the U.S. in its effort to guarantee safe passage to cargo vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz, though Trump has said at times he does not want their help.
The White House official said the G7 meeting, scheduled for June 15-17 in Évian-les-Bains in southeastern France, will not produce actual signed deals. Instead, it seeks to build consensus on which future agreements can be based.
What Trump Wants to Talk About
Though Iran will likely dominate much of the discussion, the White House says Trump wants to focus on business. His agenda includes linking U.S. aid with trade that is “mutually beneficial for both investor and recipient nations,” promoting the adoption of AI tools developed in the United States, agreeing to reduce China’s hold over critical mineral supply chains, fighting drug smuggling and illegal immigration, and promoting U.S. exports while reducing regulatory barriers and increasing energy production — particularly of fossil fuels.
The president’s 80th birthday falls right before the G7 meeting, on June 14.
The Macron Courtship
French President Emmanuel Macron, a frequent target of Trump’s occasional ire, has been working to smooth relations. He wooed the American president by offering a grand post-summit dinner at Versailles — the height of French Baroque gilded opulence that Trump is known to love. It is unclear whether Trump plans to attend the dinner.
The war in Iran still hangs over the relations between the U.S. and almost all of its major allies. Even if a deal is struck between now and mid-June, some rancor might still hang in the air.
The Sanctions Push
On Tuesday, during a meeting of the group’s finance ministers in Paris, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent urged the group to impose more sanctions to fight “Iranian terrorism” and the “financing that sustains it.”
“Crushing the threat of terrorism compels all of you to step up and join us,” Bessent said. “We call upon all our G7 and indeed all of our allies and the rest of the world to follow the sanctions regime so that we can crack down on the illicit finance that is fueling the Iranian war machine, and get this money back to the Iranian people.”
The Bottom Line
President Trump will attend the G7 summit in France from June 15-17, despite friction with allies over their refusal to join the U.S. war effort in Iran. The White House says the meeting will focus on AI, trade, crime-fighting, and reducing China’s hold on critical minerals. No major deals are expected to be signed. French President Emmanuel Macron has tried to smooth tensions by offering a grand dinner at Versailles.
The war in Iran still hangs over the gathering. Even if a deal is reached before the summit, the rancor may linger.
