UFC fight-fatigued Trump sounds hoarse during uncomfortable meeting with Macron as Iran deal hangs over summit

By JON MICHAEL RAASCH, WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT and ELINA SHIRAZI, SENIOR POLITICAL REPORTER AT THE G7 SUMMIT IN ÉVIAN-LES-BAINS, FRANCE Published: 17:36, 15 June 2026 | Updated: 17:55, 15 June 2026 Donald Trump did not appear pleased when he met with French President Emmanuel Macron in France on Monday.  The US President was photographed frowning while offering Macron a contorted handshake while kicking off the Group of Seven summit in Evian-les-bains, France, on Monday.  Trump has criticized Macron as an unreliable partner amid the Iran war, noting how the NATO partner country refused to get involved.  During a televised sit-down between the two leaders, Trump looked uninterested and gazed off while Macron made remarks.  Trump did show signs of a warm relationship with the French leader, however, noting how he called Macron on Sunday to congratulate him that a French Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) fighter won his bout at the White House event.  'In the heavyweight division a French fighter won. I don't know, is that maybe more important than the World Cup? To some people it might be,' Trump said, sounding hoarse after a red-eye flight to France after the Sunday evening UFC event.  'It's an honor to be with you, thank you very much,' the US President told his French counterpart.  Macron offered congratulations to the US President for signing a memorandum of understanding with Iran to draw down the three and a half month war, saying that the deal is very important for the Middle East.   President Donald Trump flashes a frown while offering a contorted handshake to French President Emmanuel Macron  During a brief televised appearance with Macron, Trump looked distracted, gazing off into the distance as the French President spoke  Macron told reporters that he will discuss critical minerals, AI and more with Trump over the coming days at the G7.  Despite being at times at odds, Trump has also defended Macron in the past from his MAGA base.  '"Crazy" Candace Owens, who accuses the Highly Respected First Lady of France of being a man, when she is not, and will hopefully win lots of money in the ongoing lawsuit,' Trump wrote in April.  'Actually, to me, the First Lady of France is a far more beautiful woman than Candace, in fact, it's not even close!'  Despite their past disagreements over NATO defense spending, trade disputes and climate policy, Trump has appeared to ingratiate himself more with Macron during his second term.  In a 2019 interview, Macron described NATO as 'brain dead,' a comment that Trump called 'very, very nasty' and 'insulting.' Macron has also opposed Trump over his desire to annex Greenland, and for instituting tariffs on France last year, which were later overturned by the Supreme Court.  Trump also teased that he may attend the MOU signing ceremony himself, which is scheduled to take place on Friday in Geneva, Switzerland, about an hours drive from the G7 summit.  Wife of France's President, Brigitte Macron walks during the G7 summit, in Evian, eastern France, on June 15, 2026. Trump has pushed back on some of his MAGA supporters for claiming that Brigitte is a man Macron praised Trump's efforts to wind down the war in Iran on Monday 'I may be involved, I may not,' Trump said. The President noted that the Strait of Hormuz, the critical waterway off of the coast of Iran through which a fifth of the global oil supply flows, will be open by Friday.  The exact language of the MOU signed by Trump, Vice President JD Vance and Iranian parliamentary leader Mohammad Ghalibaf is expected to be released in the next 24 to 48 hours, a senior administration official told the Daily Mail.  The deal, once signed, stipulates that a 60-day negotiation period will ensue so specifics can be hashed out to wind down the war.  The US has committed to lifting its blockade on the Strait of Hormuz should Iran commit to allowing the free transit of vessels through the Gulf.  It will prevent Iran from ever creating a nuclear weapon, stipulates that Iran's nuclear material will be destroyed and extracted from the country and immediately reopen the Strait of Hormuz.  If Iran follows through on the commitments, then the US will provide economic relief by lifting sanctions on the Islamic Republic and work to reintegrate the country into the global economy. However, if Iran is found noncompliant with the agreement, they will not receive anything in return, the senior administration official noted.  The comments below have not been moderated. The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.