Macron Courts Trump for Full G7 Stay in Évian
Emmanuel Macron has built the g7 summit in Évian-les-Bains around Donald Trump’s habits as much as around Ukraine, Gaza and Iran. The French president postponed the start and is offering a Versailles dinner on Wednesday night if Trump stays for the full 3 days.
The calculation is blunt: Trump left the last G7 summit in Kananaskis, Canada, early, and Macron wants to avoid a repeat that would shorten the leaders’ room for dealmaking. The summit brings together Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the UK and the US, with 6 fellow leaders trying to keep Trump engaged long enough to reach common positions.
Évian-Les-Bains and Versailles
Macron is hosting the summit in Évian-les-Bains and has arranged the schedule to suit Trump’s preferences. French officials say Trump adores the palace’s gold, a detail that helps explain why the Versailles dinner has been held out as an incentive for him to remain through Wednesday night.
The summit start was postponed so Trump could celebrate his 80th birthday with a UFC event on the White House lawn. That adjustment gives Macron a chance to keep Trump in the French Alps long enough for the leaders to move beyond the opening exchanges and into the more difficult talks on Ukraine, Gaza and Iran.
Trump’s Record at Kananaskis
Trump left the last G7 summit in Kananaskis early to work on the Iran conflict. Before departing, he called Macron “publicity seeking” and said, “Purposefully or not, Emmanuel Macron always gets it wrong.” Those remarks sharpened the stakes for Évian: Macron is not just hosting, he is trying to avoid another abrupt exit.
The other G7 leaders are looking for a way to end the Ukraine war and push for a resolution in Gaza and Iran. That agenda depends on all seven leaders staying in the room, especially the US president, whose departure can leave the summit with less time for joint statements and harder bargaining over language.
Merz, Markets and Pressure
The summit opens against a wider economic backdrop that makes the political talks harder to separate from market anxiety. On Thursday, the World Bank cut its forecast for world growth this year from 2.9% to 2.5% and said global growth is at its lowest level since the Covid pandemic.
Friedrich Merz described the Iran war as “a US humiliation,” and Trump told News last week, “You know what I really love. I love the inflation.” Emmanuel Moulin, Macron’s former chief of staff and now French central bank governor, predicted inflation would stay “persistent.” The World Bank also said commodity prices are expected to rise 22% and that international development aid is falling, a mix that leaves the G7 with fewer easy choices and more reasons to keep Trump present through the end.
Macron’s immediate test is whether the Versailles dinner is enough to hold Trump in Évian through the full summit. If Trump remains, the G7 leaders get more time to work on Ukraine, Gaza and Iran; if he leaves early again, the summit shifts from negotiation to damage control before the final discussions are done.
