France postpones G7 summit due to Trump's birthday - media
France will postpone this year’s Group of Seven summit to avoid a clash with a mixed martial arts tournament scheduled for June 14 at the White House, Politico has reported, citing two officials with direct knowledge of the G7’s plans.
According to the publication, Paris had previously announced that this year’s G7 leaders’ meeting would be held from June 14 to 16 in Evian-les-Bains on the shores of Lake Geneva.
However, that day is both American Flag Day and the 80th birthday of US President Donald Trump, who in October announced that a "big Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) fight" would take place at the White House on June 14. UFC CEO Dana White said on Thursday that the logistics of the event had been finalized, noting that the event would draw up to 5,000 people to the South Lawn of the White House.
The G7 summit will now run from June 15 to 17. French President Emmanuel Macron's office declined to confirm whether the change, now officially published on the G7 website, was directly related to the UFC event, saying the new schedule was "the result of our consultations with G7 partners." The possibility of postponing the G7 summit due to Trump's birthday was previously reported by local newspaper LeMessager.
