Trump Arrives At G7 Summit To Face Alienated European Leaders

In a now-famous “Saturday Night Live” skit from December 2019, President Donald Trump, portrayed by Alec Baldwin, was excluded from the lunch table of “cool” world leaders and banished to sit with Latvia.

What was once comedy may now be close to reality at this week’s G7 summit on the shores of Lake Geneva.

Of the six national leaders who make up the core of the Group of Seven, Trump has publicly clashed with five of them in recent months. Only French President Emmanuel Macron, who is hosting the summit, is scheduled to receive a one-on-one meeting with the president.

“No one wants to have a confrontation, even if things get quite passive aggressive at times,” Max Bergmann, a Europe expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, told The Post.

“There’s always the possibility that things might snap, and it might get rather dramatic,” he added. “Alec Baldwin had a great skit for ‘SNL’ when he was Trump alone at the lunch table. And so I kind of think leaders will keep their distance.”

Trump has sparred with Macron, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz over what he views as their lack of support for his handling of the war with Iran. In turn, the European leaders have expressed frustration over Trump’s tariff policies and his approach to the war in Ukraine.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has also begun distancing herself from Trump as she faces a difficult election at home and navigates declining support for the president among Italian voters. Their relationship cooled after Trump criticized Meloni for defending Pope Leo XIV’s criticism of US actions in the Middle East.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has also found himself in Trump’s crosshairs, enduring sharp criticism over trade disputes and the president’s repeated suggestions that Canada should become America’s 51st state.

The only G7 leader believed to currently enjoy a strong relationship with Trump is Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, though even he was forced to diplomatically sidestep the president’s March comments about Japan’s 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor.

Despite the potential for awkward encounters, administration officials say Trump has no plans to soften his approach.

“The president is always candid with his colleagues,” a senior administration official said ahead of Trump’s departure to Europe. “We’re not afraid to have these hard conversations.”

“The reality is when we go to these meetings behind closed doors, we have very straight, straightforward conversations.”

Even with Trump announcing progress on a peace agreement with Iran on Sunday, European leaders remain frustrated by soaring fuel prices caused by disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz, Trump’s continued comments about Greenland and questions surrounding America’s role in NATO.

“Transatlantic relations are, obviously, incredibly strained,” Bergmann said, adding that Trump’s comments regarding Greenland “was quite shocking to Europe. That has led to a real breach of trust and a sense that the United States is not really a reliable partner.”

“We are increasingly seeing Europeans beginning to think about a life with less America.”

After Trump departed last year’s G7 summit in Canada early amid another Middle East conflict, Macron has reportedly worked to avoid a repeat scenario.

The French president invited Trump to a lavish dinner at Versailles on Wednesday evening following the summit, ostensibly to commemorate the upcoming 250th anniversary of American independence.

Macron also delayed the start of the summit by one day, allowing Trump to spend Sunday, his 80th birthday, hosting the UFC Freedom 250 event on the White House South Lawn.

The leaders will still spend significant time together during the three-day gathering, including a welcome dinner Monday evening, a session focused on Ukraine on Tuesday and meetings centered on the global economy and artificial intelligence on Wednesday.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is expected to attend Tuesday’s session, though no formal meeting with Trump is scheduled. The White House has indicated the two leaders could speak on the sidelines.

Zelensky said Sunday that he called Trump to wish him a happy birthday and discuss the war with Russia, though the Ukrainian leader has recently focused much of his diplomatic efforts on European capitals, traveling to London last week to meet with Starmer, Macron and Merz.

Reflecting the administration’s priorities, Trump’s non-Macron bilateral meetings will include leaders from Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt, along with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The White House also attempted to arrange a meeting with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, though scheduling conflicts prevented it.

Trump and other G7 leaders are also expected to participate in a joint meeting with Middle Eastern leaders to discuss de-mining operations in the Strait of Hormuz, which is scheduled to reopen Friday.

Macron and Starmer have indicated that France and Britain could help organize such an operation, a move they hope will address Trump’s criticism that Europe has not done enough to assist during the Iran conflict.

The White House acknowledged that assistance would be beneficial.

“As the straits open, we’re going to be very involved in demining, and to the extent that G7 countries can participate in that,” a senior administration official said, “that’s also going to be a helpful thing to get things back to normal as quickly as possible.”