Trump Leaves G7 Early, Cancels Meeting with Australian PM Amid Middle East Crisis
President Donald Trump departed the G7 summit early, abruptly canceling a scheduled bilateral meeting with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese as tensions escalate in the Middle East and two U.S. aircraft carriers move toward the region.
Trump announced his departure during a brief statement to reporters, citing urgent matters requiring his immediate return to Washington.
"I have to be back. Very important," Trump said. "You probably see what I see. And I have to be back as soon as I can."
The president's unexpected exit came as he posted a warning on Truth Social directing Tehran to "evacuate immediately" and reiterating his position that "Iran shall not have a nuclear weapon, period, end of story."
Former White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney, speaking on Sky News AM Agenda Australia, said the cancellation likely stemmed from Middle East developments rather than any diplomatic slight toward Australia.
"It's highly unlikely that anything that was getting ready to happen drove this decision," Mulvaney told Sky News. "It's either something that already happened, he was upset with something that already happened, or it really is something that was happening back home that he needed to get back to."
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