President Donald Trump is leaving the G7 summit in Canada early “so he can attend to many important matters,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Monday evening.
“President Trump had a great day at the G7, even signing a major trade deal with the United Kingdom and Prime Minister Keir Starmer. 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,” Leavitt posted on X.
The schedule change will cancel Trump’s planned bilateral meetings with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum. He also will also not attend a press conference on Tuesday.
The announcement came after Trump posted a warning on social media warning “everyone should immediately evacuate Tehran.”
Before his planned departure from the summit, Trump said he was returning to the White House because of “very important” issues.
The president remained vague as he was peppered with questions by reporters about the Middle East.
“You probably see what I see and I have to be back as soon as I can,” Trump added.
Earlier Monday, two U.S. officials told ABC News that Trump did not intend to sign a statement being drafted by world leaders at the summit that calls for de-escalation between Israel and Iran.
The draft commits to safeguarding market stability, including energy markets and says Israel has the right to defend itself, according to officials.
One U.S. official told ABC News that the president, so far, has not felt a need to sign the statement, as he has already spoken out publicly about the ongoing conflict and made his position clear.
“Under the strong leadership of President Trump, the United States is back to leading the effort to restore peace around the world. President Trump will continue to work towards ensuring Iran cannot obtain a nuclear weapon,” a White House official when asked about Trump not signing the joint statement.
The delegations representing the other countries will continue to work through the language in hopes of finalizing a statement, according to a source familiar with the discussions.
It is typical for the leaders to release communiqué that conveys a shared consensus. In 2017, Trump was the only G7 leader not to endorse the Paris Agreement. At the time, the section on climate change acknowledged the United States was “not in a position to join the consensus on these topics.”
Earlier Monday, Trump said that Iran wants to “talk” about de-escalation as aerial attacks continue between Tehran and Israel.
Trump took questions on the deepening conflict as he met with Canadian Prime Minster Mark Carney at the G7 summit in Kananaskis, Alberta, on Monday.
“They’d like to talk, but they should have done that before,” Trump said of Iran. “I had 60 days, and they had 60 days. And on the 61st day I said, ‘We don’t have a deal.’ They have to make a deal.”
“It’s painful for both parties, but I’d say Iran is not winning this war,” Trump continued. “And they should talk, and they should talk immediately before it’s too late.”
The U.S. president would not comment on what it would take for the United States to get involved militarily.
“I don’t want to talk about that,” Trump told reporters.
Trump told ABC News Senior Political Correspondent Rachel Scott on Sunday that the U.S. was not involved in Israel’s military strikes against Iran, but that “it’s possible we could get involved.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in an interview with ABC News on Monday, argued it was in America’s interest to support Israel as it seeks to eliminate Iran’s nuclear program.
“We’re not just fighting our enemy. We’re fighting your enemy. For God’s sake, they chant, ‘death to Israel, death to America.’ We’re simply on their way. And this could reach America soon,” Netanyahu said.
Before the strikes began, Trump had publicly urged Israel not to hit Iran — stating it could derail efforts to secure a nuclear agreement with the Middle Eastern nation.
But his tone shifted after Israeli forces launched their attacks. Trump called them “excellent” and suggested they would help bring Iran back to the negotiating table.
On Sunday, he said the two sides might have to fight it out, but expressed hope a solution would ultimately be reached.
“Well, I hope there’s going to be a deal,” he said before departing the White House for Canada. “I think it’s time for a deal, and we’ll see what happens. But sometimes they have to fight it out, but we’re going to see what happens. I think there’s a good chance there will be a deal after.”
The post Trump to leave G7 early, White House says citing situation in Middle East appeared first on ABC News.
