Macron frames Évian G7 agenda in hope Trump will stay for whole summit

Emmanuel Macron is hosting the G7 summit in Évian-les-Bains, France, with doubts about whether Donald Trump will stay for the full three days. Trump abruptly left the 2025 summit in Canada to address the Iran conflict and previously criticized Macron as 'publicity seeking.' Despite this, Macron has accommodated Trump’s schedule, including delaying the summit to align with Trump’s 80th birthday celebration on the White House lawn. The summit’s agenda includes discussions on Iran, where Trump seeks G7 support for his plan to reopen the Strait of Hormuz by force. Other G7 leaders, including German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, oppose the war, calling it a 'US humiliation.' Trump may also push for accelerating a Franco-British naval taskforce to enforce navigation in the Strait. Economic instability looms as the World Bank revised global growth forecasts downward to 2.5%, the lowest since the Covid pandemic. Central banks, including the Bank of Japan and the European Central Bank, are raising interest rates amid inflation fears. French central bank governor Emmanuel Moulin warned of 'persistent' inflation, while container shipping rates have doubled since the Iran conflict began. The World Bank predicts a 22% rise in commodity prices, worsening food and fertiliser costs, which will disproportionately harm the world’s poorest. Rising interest rates and declining international aid are exacerbating debt crises, threatening schools, healthcare, and food assistance programs. Trump, however, downplays economic impacts, claiming oil prices have not risen as expected and expressing satisfaction with inflation. Macron has offered a dinner at Versailles as an incentive for Trump to attend the full summit, though French officials acknowledge the US president’s unpredictable behavior. The G7 leaders must navigate both geopolitical divisions and the economic fallout from the Iran war, with Trump’s presence adding further uncertainty.