Our live coverage of the G7 summit in France and President Trump’s news conference has ended. You can read more about the world leaders’ summit here.
Here’s a breakdown of the key lines from Trump’s news conference:
President Trump has departed France following the conclusion of the G7 summit.
Air Force One was wheels up for Washington just past 1 p.m. ET (7 p.m. local). It’s a roughly eight hour flight to Joint Base Andrews.
French President Emmanuel Macron shared some insight on his dealings with President Trump at the G7, saying his counterpart appreciates directness and respect.
The French President went on to say that he and Trump had a “fantastic working lunch” which he described as “extremely productive.”
The French Government, the organizer of this year’s G7 summit, has issued a conclusion document on behalf of the leaders of the seven countries at the meeting.
The document notably leaves out discussions on the Amazon and on climate change, and instead focuses on trade, Iran, Ukraine and Libya.
“The leaders of the G7 wish to emphasize their great unity and the positive spirit of their debates,” the document read.
Here’s what it says about five key issues:
Trade
Iran
Ukraine
Libya
Hong Kong
President Trump, when asked about the climate crisis, said he wants clean air and clean water — but also wants the US to hold onto its “tremendous wealth.”
A reporter asked Trump, “What do you think the world should be doing about climate change and do you still harbor that skepticism?”
Trump said the US has become “the No. 1 energy producer in the world.”
Trump said that while he wanted to continue energy production, he see himself as an environmentalist.
“I want the cleanest water on Earth. I want the cleanest air on Earth. And that’s what we’re doing. And I’m an environmentalist,” he said.
Some context: Earlier today, Trump skipped a session devoted to climate change at the G7 summit.
In the lead-up to the G7, Trump’s aides said he wasn’t entirely interested in the climate portions of the summit, believing them a waste of time compared to discussion of the economy.
After past G7s, Trump complained that too much time was spent on issues he deemed unimportant, like clearing oceans of plastics.
President Trump said he thinks the UK’s Boris Johnson will be “a great prime minister.” The two met at the G7 summit over the weekend.
Trump said he told Johnson he’s “been waiting for him to be prime minister for about 6 years.”
“This is the right time for Boris,” he added.
A reporter asked President Trump about the reason Russia was kicked out of the G7, which used to be the G8, and he repeated a misleading statement blaming President Obama.
Trump, the reporter pointed out, continues to insist that “Russia outsmarted President Obama” when other countries say the reason Russia was ousted from the group was because it annexed Crimea in 2014.
Here’s how Trump responded:
He continued: “President Obama was pure and simply outsmarted. They took Crimea during his term. That was not a good thing. It could have been stopped — could have been stopped with the right, whatever. It could have been stopped. But President Obama was unable to stop it, and it’s too bad.”
Some context: The 2014 decision to kick Russia out of the then-G8 was made by a majority of member countries.
Russia was suspended from the group after the majority of member countries allied against Russia’s annexation of Crimea, which Russia continues to hold.
Asked about political fallout from his suggestion that Russia be readmitted to the G7, Trump said, “don’t care.”
He added that “numerous people inside the G7 felt that way.”
Asked about having Russia’s Vladimir Putin attend the summit, Trump said he would “certainly invite him.”
President Trump defended the possibility of hosting the next G7 summit at his Trump National Doral Miami Golf Club, saying that he will not make any money from hosting.
“It’s not about me, it’s about getting the right location,” he said.
Trump told reporters at a press conference Monday in Biarritz, that he “couldn’t care less” about making money and reiterated that he has only lost money as president. “The only thing I care about is this country,” Trump said.
Trump said that the administration has looked at 12 different sites for the summit, but said his Doral-Miami club is the best choice in terms of location and infrastructure.
“My people wanted it,” Trump said on the club adding, “I’m not going to make any money.”
President Trump outlined the reasons he’s considering hosting next year’s G7 summit at his Trump National Doral Miami Golf Resort in Florida.
He cited the location’s proximity to the airport and its “luxurious rooms with magnificent views” as key elements.
“Doral happens to be within Miami. It’s a city. It’s a wonderful place. It’s a very, very successful area of Florida. It’s, very importantly, only five minutes from the airport. The airport is right next door,” Trump said.
He added that his team looked at 12 sites, but some were two to four hours away from an international airport.
Trump went on to describe the club’s guest rooms and amenities.
He continued: “Each country can have their own villa or their own bungalow. And they have a lot of units in them. So I think it works out well.”
Following up on President Macron’s suggestion that the US and Iran meet in the coming weeks on the nuclear issue, Trump was asked if that timetable for a meeting sounded realistic and he responded, “It does.”
Trump said he thinks Iran wants to “get this situation straightened out,” but couched that comment by adding, “That’s based on gut.”
“I think there’s a really good chance that we would meet,” Trump added.
President Trump would not confirm if the US and France have reached an agreement on sanctions on French wines — but he would confirm that his wife loves the drink.
A reporter noted that Melania Trump was seen tasting French wine during the G7 summit.
“So can you perhaps give up on your threat to put sanctions on French wine?” the reporter asked. “Could you confirm that there has been an agreement between you and France on taxing digital firms?”
Here’s how Trump responded:
Some context: Last month, Trump floated placing tariffs on French wines and other French products in retaliation for that nation’s new tax on large American technology companies.
Asked if he was ready to make a deal on trade with China, President Trump said, “Only if it’s a fair deal and a good deal for the United States. Otherwise, I will not make a deal.”
“I think they want to make a deal, and they should make a deal,” Trump said of China.
He added that if they don’t make a deal with the US it will be “very bad for China.”
President Trump said North Korea has “tremendous potential” — something he believes North Korean leader Kim Jong Un understands.
“Kim Jong Un, who I’ve gotten to know extremely well — the first lady has gotten to know Kim Jong Un and I think she would agree with me — he is a man with a country that has tremendous potential,” Trump said.
Trump added that North Korea’s location between South Korea and China gives it “tremendous economic potential.”
President Trump wouldn’t commit to meeting with Iran’s President after French leader Emmanuel Macron raised the idea.
Earlier, Macron said he was working to arrange a meeting between Trump and Hassan Rouhani in the next few weeks as a precursor to a new nuclear agreement.
Trump did not respond directly to Macron’s effort. But he said any new deal would need to encompass a longer period of time and include ballistic missile testing.
“We’re looking for no nuclear weapons, no ballistic missiles, and a longer period of time,” Trump said.
“I really believe that Iran can be a great nation,” Trump said. “I’d like to see that happen.”
But he said if Iran continued bad behavior, it would be met with “violent force.”
President Trump said Iran is “not the same country that it was two and a half years ago” when he came into office.
He said the US would like to see Iran without nuclear weapons — but he’s not looking for a leadership shakeup within the nation.
Trump said he believes Iran can be a “great nation.”
“I would like to see that happen,” he added. “But they can’t have nuclear weapons.”
French President Macron said that world leaders discussed brokering a “new nuclear agreement” with Iran at the G7. Macron is calling for the leaders of the US and Iran to meet in the coming weeks to discuss the issue.
“I’m ready to have a meeting to make a deal,” Macron added. “I want this meeting to happen.”
President Trump said he believes China is sincere in wanting a new trade deal.
“Do you believe that China is sincere about what it said this morning?” a reporter asked the President at a news conference.
“Yes,” Trump responded.
Earlier today, Trump said he’d received word from China that its negotiators are ready to return to trade talks, even after his aides spent Sunday insisting Trump wants higher tariffs on Chinese products.
French President Emmanuel Macron said he hopes the US and China reach a trade deal quickly because “uncertainty” is bad for the global economy.
“Our deep wish is for an agreement to be found between the United States and China concerning trade because I think that would be something positive for everyone,” he said when asked if he was concerned about the trade war between the US and China.
He continued:
Some context: Earlier today, Trump said he’d received word from China that its negotiators are ready to return to trade talks, even after his aides spent Sunday insisting Trump wants higher tariffs on Chinese products.
French President Emmanuel Macron said both he Trump agree that Iran “must never have nuclear arms.”
Speaking next to President Trump, Macron added that Iran “must never be allowed to disturb the stability of the region.”
The French President went to say that a lot of pressure has been put on Iran. He welcomed both the visit by Iran Foreign Minister Javad Zarif as well as the words by Iranian President Hassan Rouhani as a positive step in what he still described as a “fragile” environment.
