U.S. President Donald Trump is leaving the G7 summit in Alberta early because he’s needed back in Washington to address what’s going on in the Middle East, Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary, said in a social media post late Monday.
That’s an apparent reference to the war between Iran and Israel, which is expanding by the day as Israel ramps up its attacks as part of a push to destroy the country’s nuclear program and wipe out the senior Iranian officials who lead it.
Leavitt said Trump “had a great day at the G7” — he signed a trade pact with the United Kingdom and agreed to try and reach one with Canada within 30 days — but he has to go after the leaders’ dinner this evening.
Trump’s departure means he will miss the second day of the G7 program, including the visit by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Trump was set to meet with Zelenskyy and Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum for bilateral meetings on the sidelines of the summit.
A Prime Minister’s Office spokesperson said Canada was made aware of Trump’s schedule change “through official channels” before it was publicly announced.
Earlier Monday, during his bilateral meeting with U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Trump hinted that he might have to leave early when he was asked about bringing Iran to the table.
“I think Iran basically is at the negotiating table. They want to make a deal,” he said. “And as soon as I leave here, we’re going to be doing something. But I have to leave here. I have … this commitment. I have a lot of commitments.”
Trump arrived in Calgary Sunday evening and took part in the G7 leaders’ discussions Monday on the economy and some security matters.
He met with Carney for a bilateral meeting Monday morning and had private pull-asides with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz.
Trump left the last G7 meeting Canada hosted in 2018 early to travel to Singapore for a summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.
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