Prime Minister Mark Carney’s stop in Paris ahead of the G7 summit in Evian, France, highlighted the central challenge facing this year’s gathering: how to manage U.S. President Donald Trump without allowing the summit to collapse into confrontation. Carney met French President Emmanuel Macron for an unusual pre-summit discussion, described by a Canadian official as a handover from last year’s G7 host to this year’s. While Carney said Macron did not need advice on Trump, the U.S. president was clearly the dominant subject. Trump’s posture is now the defining variable for every G7 meeting, with leaders trying to gauge whether he will cooperate on shared priorities or disrupt the summit entirely.
In Ottawa, Carney’s government is already dealing with Trump-related pressure, including legislation aimed at protecting Canada from U.S. tariffs and ongoing disputes over the delayed opening of the Gordie Howe International Bridge between Windsor and Detroit. Those tensions form part of a wider atmosphere of uncertainty as leaders gather in Evian. One major goal is to encourage Trump to join allies in pressing Russia toward peace talks over Ukraine, but officials are also wary that he could direct his frustration at the other G7 countries instead.
Former Canadian ambassador to the U.S. David MacNaughton said Trump is likely to want to project toughness, especially amid challenges on multiple fronts, including rising prices and unresolved crises in the Middle East. The president’s political style and recent frustrations could make him even less predictable at the summit.
The broader political context is also difficult for many G7 members. Leaders in Britain, Germany and France are struggling with low domestic approval ratings and pressure from far-right challengers. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is facing internal party tensions that could threaten his leadership. That weakness may push leaders to focus on domestic messaging rather than compromise at the summit table.
Carney occupies a middle position between Trump and Europe. His January speech in Davos, which emphasized cooperation among middle powers, drew interest in Europe but reportedly irritated Trump. MacNaughton suggested that a one-on-one breakthrough on trade between Carney and Trump is unlikely in this setting.
The summit agenda reflects sharp divisions between Trump and the other leaders on Ukraine, trade, artificial intelligence and social media regulation. Macron has tried to steer the G7 toward the kind of cooperative, club-like atmosphere that defined its origins in the 1970s. This year’s focus includes global macroeconomic imbalances, with Macron pointing to China’s industrial overcapacity, U.S. deficits and debt-driven consumption, and Europe’s own regulatory burdens and weak innovation as threats to the global economy.
Macron has urged the United States to remove tariffs and work more closely with allies on trade policy, but Trump has shown little interest in that approach. More broadly, the article argues that Trump has never fully embraced the G7 as a forum of equals. He often leaves early, and previous summit participants have sometimes misread his movements and intentions. In 2026, the same uncertainty is likely to shape the atmosphere once again.
