French President Emmanuel Macron has extended an invitation to U.S. President Donald Trump to attend a lavish dinner at the Palace of Versailles on the evening following this year’s G7 leaders’ meeting, sources said. The summit is scheduled for June 15-17 in Evian-les-Bains, and it remains unclear whether Trump will attend either the G7 sessions or the Versailles reception.
France, as this year’s G7 host, adjusted the summit timetable to accommodate an event in Washington that the U.S. president is arranging - a mixed martial arts event at the White House on his 80th birthday, scheduled for June 14 - before the Evian meeting begins.
Sources told reporters that the offer from Macron envisions a ceremony at Versailles rich in ceremonial grandeur, designed in part to highlight shared historical ties between France and the United States in the run-up to the United States’ 250th anniversary on July 4. The Palace of Versailles, a gilded 17th-century residence built outside Paris by Louis XIV, would provide the setting for the proposed reception.
Whether Trump will appear at Evian-les-Bains - and therefore at the Versailles dinner - is not yet known. The sources stressed that none of the other G7 leaders have been invited to the Versailles event. A decision by Trump to skip either the summit or the presidential reception would be embarrassing for Macron and could overshadow the G7 at a time when the U.S. administration has expressed scepticism about the value of such multilateral gatherings.
Tensions between Trump and several G7 members have risen, the sources said, citing the U.S. president’s actions in relation to the war with Iran and his public criticisms of allies. The article noted openly scathing remarks directed at British Prime Minister Keir Starmer in response to an early March offer of military support, and repeated denunciations of NATO by Trump over its approach to the conflict.
A senior White House official confirmed that Macron had extended the invitation, relaying the official line that "(Macron) really wants him (Trump) to go, begging him to go." The same official added that Trump has not yet decided whether he will attend the G7.
Macron’s office declined to comment on the Versailles invitation.
A French official familiar with the summit’s planning, which sources characterized as still at an early stage, said Macron could host Trump for a bilateral visit in the margins of the G7, similar to arrangements that might be made for any invited leader. The official cautioned that plans were not finalised, saying: "The format of this reception is not finalised. The visit remains to be confirmed."
The outcome of whether Trump attends the G7 and the Versailles dinner is unresolved at this stage, leaving organizers to continue planning amid lingering uncertainty about the U.S. president’s participation.