Chatter on the sidelines of the G7 summit exposed: Meloni was congratulated for quitting smoking, and Trump called himself the "boss"

At the Group of Seven (G7) summit held in France, leaders of various countries focused on serious issues such as Iran, the war between Ukraine and Russia, trade or Chinese export subsidies. However, the microphone was turned off, which unexpectedly included a lot of chatter on the sidelines, including the fact that Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni was quitting smoking and was congratulated by other leaders attending the meeting.

During the meeting, the Associated Press compiled on the 17th, “hot mic” (a private conversation accidentally recorded because the microphone was not turned off) revealed the topics of impromptu chats among the leaders participating in the meeting. U.S. President Trump arrived late for the last day of the summit meeting on the 17th. When he arrived at the venue, he said to the leaders of various countries who were already sitting at the large oval conference table, waiting for the meeting to begin to discuss the impact of China's subsidized products on the export market, "I am the boss!"

Meloni is quitting smoking, which was captured by "Hot Microphone" on the 16th. When German Chancellor Friedrich Merz asked her if she had smoked that morning, Meloni revealed that she had not smoked "since May 1." The leaders of Canada, the United Kingdom, Japan and the European Union immediately congratulated Meloni warmly, and she raised her hands in celebration. At this time, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney pointed to her arm and asked her: "Do you have a smoking cessation patch?"

Since this summit coincides with the World Cup football tournament being held in the United States, Mexico and Canada, football has naturally become a topic of chat among leaders of various countries. At lunch on the 16th, French President Emmanuel Macron and others talked about the event. Some people shouted the French team's cheering slogan "Allez les bleus!" and someone talked about Paris-Saint Germain's recent victory in the UEFA Champions League. Trump turned the topic to the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) event held at the White House a few days ago and praised UFC CEO Dana White.

Another conversation captured by a "hot microphone" on the 16th was when Trump was talking to European Council President Antonio Costa. He suddenly paused, looked at the other person and said, "Do you understand? Greenland." Since the context of the conversation between the two is unclear, the meaning of this sentence is intriguing.

Gift-giving diplomacy is also indispensable at the summit venue. According to a statement by David Lappartient, president of the International Cycling Union (UCI), Macron presented personally customized bicycles to leaders of various countries to promote the World Cycling Championships to be held in the French Alps next year.

Merz, who recently had disagreements with Trump over his stance on the Iran war, gave Trump a German national football team jersey with Trump's name and the number "47" on it, representing him as the 47th president of the United States. Merz wrote, "After all, we are on the same team."

☆Free e-newsletter cares about you, smoking is harmful to health☆