President Donald Trump abruptly jetted out of the G7, or Group of Seven, summit late Monday, citing intensifying conflict between Israel and Iran.
Trump left the summit in Canada a day earlier than scheduled to return to Washington and focus on the escalating conflict, as he delivered a grim warning that Tehran ought to evacuate and warned Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon. The summit features seven of the largest advanced economies: the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, and Japan, along with representatives from the European Union. The group meets each year to discuss economic policy, security, and major international issues such as global conflicts and climate change.
Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary, wrote on X, that Trump had a "great day at the G7, even signing a major trade deal with the United Kingdom and Prime Minister Keir Starmer." Even so, she said he was leaving a day early.
"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," said Leavitt.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio is also heading back to the nation's capital, a State Department spokesperson told CBS News. Trump asked the National Security Council and Situation Room to be readied upon his return to the White House, according to the report.
The New York Times reported that Trump signaled he felt pressured to be more engaged in the Middle East crisis.
“They want to make a deal, and as soon as I leave here, we’re going to be doing something,” he said, according to the Times. “But I have to leave here.”
In response to a question on whether he'd consider traveling to the region to help broker a deal, Trump said he thought talks were progressing well.
“We’re talking,” he said. “We have a thing called the telephone, so we’re talking. It’s always better to talk in person.”
Trump reportedly told fellow world leaders at the summit as they gathered to take the traditional group photo, “You probably see what I see, and I have to be back as soon as I can.”