President Trump will depart the Group of Seven (G7) summit on Monday night, a day earlier than planned, because of the growing conflict in the Middle East.
“President Trump had a great day at the G7, even signing a major trade deal with the United Kingdom and Prime Minister Keir Starmer,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt posted on X “Much was accomplished, but because of what’s going on in the Middle East, President Trump will be leaving tonight after dinner with Heads of State.”
The White House announced Trump’s altered schedule shortly after a series of posts he made on Truth Social that struck an ominous tone toward Iran, including one calling for everyone in the capital city of Tehran to “immediately evacuate.”
“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.
