Key facts
- Misleading social media posts and videos have circulated following the G7 summit in France.
Social media users are sharing out-of-context clips and misleading statements about US President Donald Trump and European leaders following the G7 summit. Fact-checkers have debunked claims about Trump's remarks on Europe's 'woke' status and interactions with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
The spread of misinformation surrounding international summits like the G7 can distort public perception of diplomatic relations and policy discussions, potentially fueling geopolitical tensions and undermining trust in political leaders and institutions.
Social media users have been sharing out-of-context clips and misleading statements in an apparent effort to highlight strained US-European relations following the G7 summit in Evian, France. Euronews' fact-checking team, The Cube, examined several viral claims.
One widely shared post claimed that US President Donald Trump stated "Europe has gone woke" and is unrecognizable, with exceptions like Hungary and Poland. While Trump did make these remarks, the clip was from a February press conference, not the G7 summit. In that February statement, he criticized Europe's energy and immigration policies, stating, "Europe is not recognisable when you go into so many places. Not all countries. When you look at Hungary, you look at Poland, [the] Czech [Republic], Slovakia... There are some countries which have gone very much the opposite." He also added, "Europe's getting killed on two things: Energy and immigration."
Another set of social media posts mocked Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, sharing videos that allegedly show Trump snubbing him. While one video appears to show Trump turning to greet European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen as Zelenskyy approaches, there is little evidence to suggest a deliberate snub. Trump and Zelenskyy met at least once on the summit's sidelines, with Trump calling it a "good meeting" and urging Russia to negotiate an end to the invasion. Zelenskyy reportedly raised the possibility of building Patriot missile interceptors in Ukraine during his talks with Trump.
A third claim circulating online alleged that French President Emmanuel Macron said that "it's not the Americans or Trump who decide France’s future, nor do they decide French or European law." This statement is partially true but lacks context. Macron made these remarks in an interview with TF1 during the G7 summit, in response to a question about whether he would yield to Trump's demands to scrap a digital services tax on global tech giants, following threats of 100% tariffs on French wine and champagne. Macron explained that the digital tax was a law decided by several European countries and that he would not give in to Trump's threats. He stated, "This is normal, and this will not happen any differently as long as I'm here. So we will have a respectful but firm discussion."