France’s president is pulling out all the stops to keep America at the table.
Macron has invited Trump to a Versailles dinner following the G7 summit in France, in a bid to ensure the US president attends the mid-June gathering in Evian-les-Bains.
A White House official confirmed the invitation. Trump however, has yet to commit to the G7 or the Versailles event.
The G7 Stakes — and Macron’s Gamble
France hosts this year’s G7 summit from June 15-17 in the Alpine resort of Evian-les-Bains. Macron has already moved the dates to avoid conflicting with Trump’s 80th birthday event at the White House on June 14.
The Versailles dinner, framed around Franco-American shared history and America’s 250th anniversary on July 4 — is intended as an added incentive to get Trump on a plane to Paris.
A senior White House official said Macron is “begging” Trump to attend. Planning remains at an early stage and the format of the Versailles reception is not yet finalised.
Why It Matters
The Trump administration has been openly critical of multilateral gatherings like the G7, making French efforts to secure US participation more fraught than usual.
A Trump absence would not only embarrass Macron personally but would raise deeper questions about the cohesion of the world’s leading democracies at a time of global instability.
With the Middle East in crisis, global trade tensions running high, and NATO under strain, the G7 has rarely needed its members more — or been less certain of having them.
