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G7 hot mic: Meloni's 'Instagram couple' joke to Modi, Macron loses watch, Trump gets jersey gift

Donald Trump told a roomful of global leaders "I'm the boss", as he and other G7 leaders acknowledged Ukraine's improved battlefield fortunes with a unified pledge of support and fresh sanctions against Russia

Swiss's President wife Caroline Merotto, Japan's Prime minister Sanae Takaichi, Swiss President Guy Parmelin, Brazil's First Lady Rosangela "Janja" da Silva, Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, South Korea's President Lee Jae-myung, France's President Emmanuel Macron, South Korea's First Lady Kim Hea Kyung, French President's wife Brigitte Macron, British Prime Minister's wife Victoria Starmer, US President Donald Trump, Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer, India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney, Canadian Prime Minister's wife Diana Carney, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, German Chancellor's wife Charlotte Merz, European Commission President's husband Heiko von der Leyen and Germany's Chancellor Friedrich Merz pose for a family photo during a gala dinner as part of the G7 summit, in Evian-les-Bains, France, Tuesday June 16, 2026. AP/PTI

Our Web Desk, Agencies
Published 17.06.26, 08:06 PM

The leaders of the world's richest democracies are talking about how to tackle some of the world's biggest problems this week, but hot mics at the G7 summit revealed that conversations also covered lighter fare. Sports. Cigarettes. The weather. And something about Greenland?

As world leaders made their way into conference rooms at a lakeside resort, microphones set up for their weighty discussions about war and trade often caught off-the-cuff banter.

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Meloni quit smoking

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's smoking habits were the subject of a hot-mic moment on Tuesday. Asked by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz if she had already had a cigarette that morning, Meloni revealed that she hadn't smoked "since the first of May."

Her turn against tobacco prompted enthusiastic congratulations from leaders of Canada, the United Kingdom, Japan and the European Union. Meloni raised her hands in celebration. Meanwhile, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney had a question for her.

"Do you have a patch?" Carney asked, grabbing his own arm.

Meloni tells Modi 'we're the most famous Instagram couple'

Meloni and Prime Minister Narendra Modi shared a light-hearted exchange before joining other leaders for the traditional family photograph.

The two leaders, whose cordial interactions have inspired the viral "Melodi" trend on social media, greeted each other warmly in front of cameras.

"Nice to meet you again!" Meloni told Modi with a smile.

During the brief conversation, Modi appeared to allude to the pair's popularity on social media by mentioning Instagram. Meloni quickly joined in the joke, replying, "Yes, we are the most famous on Instagram."

Sports talk includes 'Allez les blues!'

With the World Cup underway in the United States, Mexico and Canada, soccer naturally became a fallback of discussion.

As leaders gathered for lunch, French President Emmanuel Macron and others weighed in. Someone shouted "Allez les bleus," the cheer for the French team. Another leader can be heard talking about the recent Champions League victory by Paris-Saint Germain.

US President Donald Trump turned attention to the UFC cage-match event he hosted at the White House on Sunday. Trump, who sat ringside on his 80th birthday, spoke glowingly about Dana White, the CEO of UFC.

At another point in the day, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer effused about Cape Verde's surprise 0-0 draw against World Cup champion Spain. "Quite remarkable, I have to say," he said.

Trump makes a cryptic Greenland reference

In a moment of intrigue, Trump was caught on microphone talking with European Council President António Costa.

"You understand?" Trump said before pausing and looking squarely at Costa. "Greenland." The start and end of the conversation was unclear.

European politicians have been outraged by Trump's threats to acquire Greenland, a semiautonomous territory of Denmark.

Macron loses track of time - literally

Later, Trump added some levity after Macron appeared to have left his watch behind when he departed the group's working lunch. Carney drew attention to it, saying, "He's left his watch here. We've got his watch."

"Give me it if he left, gimme," Trump chimed in, drawing laughs from the group.

Trump gets a jersey for his birthday, and a bike

The day brought a few instances of gift-giving diplomacy.

Macron gave all seven of his counterparts personalised bicycles to promote the Cycling World Championships scheduled next year in the French Alps, according to David Lappartient, president of the Union Cycliste Internationale, on social media.

There was no hot mic moment to detect the reaction of Trump, who is not known to bike and has joked about doing minimal exercise beyond regular golf outings.

Merz, who recently sparred with Trump over the war in Iran, presented Trump with a German national team soccer jersey bearing Trump's name and the number 47. Trump raised it and smiled for a photo before setting it aside.

Merz posted a photo of the exchange on social media and offered a pointed message: "After all, we're on the same team."

'I'm the boss' jokes Trump

Donald Trump told a roomful of global leaders "I'm the boss", as he and other G7 leaders acknowledged Ukraine's improved battlefield fortunes with a unified pledge of support and fresh sanctions against Russia.

Trump's comment - a tongue-in-cheek admission of an unspoken truth hanging over the June 15-17 summit of the Group of Seven powers in the French resort of Evian-les-Bains - followed a joint leaders' statement that could bolster Kyiv's growing leverage in potential peace talks with Moscow.

G7 Summit Georgia Meloni Donald Trump Emmanuel Macron
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