Trump to Attend Versailles Dinner with Macron After G7
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- Trump will dine with Macron at the Palace of Versailles on Wednesday, confirmed by a senior administration official, after the White House had previously declined to say whether he would accept Macron's invitation.
- Macron's Versailles invite appeared tailored to Trump's 'taste for opulence and gilded interiors' — and aimed at keeping him present for the full G7 summit in Évian-les-Bains after Trump left last year's gathering early amid tensions with Iran.
- European leaders plan to use the summit to press Trump on the war in Ukraine and the conflict in Iran, the two flashpoints that could define the trip's diplomatic weight.
- Trump's schedule stacks bilateral meetings across three days: a Monday sit-down with Macron, Tuesday sessions with the Emir of Qatar and the UAE president alongside a G7 working session that includes Zelenskyy (no bilateral planned, though a sideline meeting is possible), and Wednesday bilaterals with Egypt's Sisi and India's Modi.
- A senior administration official said Trump will address 'economic growth and development, supply chain resilience, illegal immigration, and artificial intelligence' with allies, and will meet with G7 outreach partners and tech CEOs on AI on the final day.
Why it matters: Macron is essentially using Versailles as a diplomatic lure to lock Trump in for the full G7 after his early exit last year over Iran — meaning European leaders get a rare uninterrupted window to press him on Ukraine and Iran while the U.S. president is physically seated at the table. The packed bilateral schedule with Middle Eastern leaders (Qatar, UAE, Egypt) signals those conflicts will dominate the sideline diplomacy, not just the formal sessions.
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