Updated
Updated · PBS NewsHour · Jun 16
G7 Hot Mics Capture Leaders' Offstage Banter, Including Trump's 'Greenland' Remark and Meloni's 47-Day Quit
Updated
Updated · PBS NewsHour · Jun 16

G7 Hot Mics Capture Leaders' Offstage Banter, Including Trump's 'Greenland' Remark and Meloni's 47-Day Quit

3 articles · Updated · PBS NewsHour · Jun 16

Summary

  • Hot mics at the G7 summit in Evian-les-Bains picked up leaders joking about smoking, soccer and gifts between formal talks on war and trade.
  • May 1 was the date Giorgia Meloni said she stopped smoking, drawing congratulations from several leaders after Friedrich Merz asked whether she had already had a cigarette that morning.
  • Trump added the most intrigue when a microphone caught him telling European Council President António Costa, after a pause, simply: "Greenland."
  • Sports dominated much of the lighter chatter, from cheers for France and praise for Cape Verde's 0-0 draw with Spain to Trump's talk about the UFC event he hosted at the White House on his 80th birthday.
  • Gift diplomacy rounded out the day: Macron gave leaders bicycles for the 2027 Cycling World Championships, while Merz handed Trump a German jersey with his name and the number 47.

Insights

With US 'soft power' funding cut, can gifts and sports talk maintain alliances amid 'hard power' foreign policy disputes?
As Arctic ice melts, how will the US push for Greenland reshape global trade and military strategy in the region?