Trump blasts 'publicity-seeking' Emmanuel Macron for 'always getting it wrong' after leaving G7 abruptly
WASHINGTON, DC: Donald Trump ditched the G7 summit in Canada early, but not before throwing shade at his French counterpart.
The president wrote a scathing Truth Social post aimed at French President Emmanuel Macron, accusing him of being a "publicity-seeking" meddler who’s always off the mark.
“Whether purposely or not, Emmanuel always gets it wrong,” he snarked, Politico reported.
Trump was originally scheduled to stick around at the summit in Kananaskis, Alberta, until Tuesday, June 17, evening. But by midday Monday, he made it clear he was heading out early.
“I have to be back as soon as I can,” he told reporters, with the White House chalking it up to “what’s going on in the Middle East.”
That left the other six G7 leaders scrambling to keep the optics of unity alive. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said he “fully understands why” Trump had to bolt.
Emmanuel Macron’s Middle East theory and Donald Trump’s response
French President Emmanuel Macron, who has spent years trying to be the Trump whisperer of Europe, may have pushed one button too many this time.
Speaking to reporters after Trump’s departure, Macron claimed that the POTUS had rushed home to broker a ceasefire between Israel and Iran. “There is indeed an offer to meet and exchange,” Macron said. “An offer was made especially to get a ceasefire and to then kick-start broader discussions.”
"The US assured they will find a ceasefire, and since they can pressure Israel, things may change," he continued, insisting that Trump had told him “moments ago” that ceasefire talks were in progress. “If the United States can get a ceasefire, that’s a very good thing. France would support it,” he added.
Trump, however, did not like that.
“Publicity-seeking President Emmanuel Macron, of France, mistakenly said that I left the G7 Summit, in Canada, to go back to D.C. to work on a ‘cease fire’ between Israel and Iran. Wrong!” Trump wrote in a scathing takedown.
“He has no idea why I am now on my way to Washington, but it certainly has nothing to do with a Cease Fire. Much bigger than that. Whether purposely or not, Emmanuel always gets it wrong. Stay Tuned!”
Bombs, backchannels, and nuclear tension in Middle East
This comes as the Middle East teeters on the edge. On Friday, Israel kicked things off with airstrikes on Iran, triggering an intense exchange that’s left over 220 Iranians — mostly civilians — dead. Israel claimed that it lost 24 civilians in the strikes that followed.
Trump recently urged “everyone” to evacuate Tehran immediately. Still, US officials maintain the country isn’t jumping in on Israel’s bombing campaign.
Earlier in the day, Trump had sounded rather optimistic about Iran. “I think Iran basically is at the negotiating table where they want to make a deal,” he said. “And as soon as I leave here, we’re going to be doing something.”
But despite all this, he insists his trip back to DC had nothing to do with a ceasefire effort.
Apparently, the real reason is “much bigger than that," as he put it.
Emmanuel Macron vs Donald Trump
Emmanuel Macron's been one of the European Union’s go-to players trying to appease Donald Trump. Their relationship goes way back, with nearly a decade of diplomatic back-and-forth.
Trump has sometimes praised Macron’s brainpower, but usually with a sting in the tail. On the campaign trail last year, Trump said the French leader was smart, but also warned he’d “take the shirt off your back if you didn’t know what you were doing.”
The latest spat could mark a real turning point, not just for Macron and Trump, but for the entire EU's attempts to work with Washington during one of the most volatile moments in the Middle East in years.
Iran, for its part, continues to insist it’s not after nukes — just nuclear energy, as allowed under the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). Tehran said that its uranium enrichment is strictly for peaceful purposes.
Meanwhile, Israel — which isn’t part of the NPT — remains the region’s only state widely believed to actually have nuclear weapons, according to Reuters.
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