President Trump will leave the Group of Seven (G7) summit on Monday evening, ahead of schedule, due to the escalating tensions in the Middle East.
“President Trump experienced a productive day at the G7, which included the signing of a significant trade agreement with the United Kingdom and Prime Minister Keir Starmer,” shared White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt on X. “A lot was achieved, but given the situation in the Middle East, President Trump will be departing tonight after his dinner with fellow Heads of State.”
The White House disclosed Trump’s revised itinerary shortly following a series of messages he posted on Truth Social, which conveyed a foreboding message towards Iran, one of which urged everyone in Tehran to “evacuate immediately.”
“AMERICA FIRST means many GREAT things, including the fact that, IRAN CAN NOT HAVE A NUCLEAR WEAPON,” Trump wrote in a separate post.
Israel and Iran have exchanged strikes since Friday, when Israeli missiles targeted Iranian nuclear facilities and killed multiple top military leaders.
Trump has been peppered with questions in the days since about potential U.S. involvement in the conflict. While the Trump administration said Israel’s initial strikes were a unilateral action, the U.S. assisted Israel in intercepting retaliatory strikes from Iran last Friday.
The president shortly after Israel’s first strikes indicated Iran may have a “second chance” at reaching an agreement to limit its nuclear program. But his posts on Monday night, paired with his decision to return to Washington a day earlier than planned, could signal the conflict is about to significantly escalate.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu earlier in the day declined to rule out targeting Iran’s supreme leader, something Trump had reportedly cautioned him against doing. Israeli forces have also said they have crippled Iran’s air defense systems, giving Israel air superiority and the ability to essentially strike at will.
Trump arrived in Kananaskis in Canada late Sunday for the G7 summit. He met on Monday with the leaders of Canada, Germany, the United Kingdom and the European Commission. Trump was supposed to hold additional meetings on Tuesday with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum and hold a press conference before departing in the evening.
