President Donald Trump has clarified his recent “I’m the boss” comment directed at fellow world leaders during the G7 summit, stating the remark was meant in jest. In an interview with Axios that was released on Friday, Trump described the exchange as him “just being funny” and “being cute.”
The president’s comment drew attention during the summit in France, where leaders of the world’s major Western economies gathered to discuss global security and economic coordination. While Trump’s latest explanation offers his first detailed account of the moment, it arrives alongside broader rhetoric emphasizing his administration’s leverage and influence on the international stage.
Newsweek contacted the White House on Sunday via an online form for comment.
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Recalling the incident, Trump described a formal setting and insisted the comment was not a literal assertion of authority.
“I was just being funny,” Trump told Axios’ Marc Caputo in an interview that was filmed on Thursday. “I wasn’t trying to be the boss.”
He then elaborated on the seating arrangement that prompted the remark.
“What happened is, they’re all sitting, and then I walked into the room, and it was just sort of funny because there was a very long table but there’s only seven of them. The table was meant for, like, 30 people,” Trump said. “I saw them all sitting, they’re all well-known figures, the heads of countries…I walked in there, these leaders, I just looked at them and said, ‘I’m the boss and you remember.’ And, you know, that was just done as a joke.”
When asked during the interview how many of the leaders believed he was actually the boss, Trump replied, “All of them.” He added, “This thing got carried all over the world, I can’t believe it. I was just being cute, funny. I wasn’t trying to be the boss.”
Trump Emphasizes Power and Dominance
Trump described the summit in terms of control and outcome, reinforcing the sense that he viewed the gathering through the lens of influence and leverage.
“I feel that it’s a very powerful administration right now,” Trump told Axios, describing his second term as more powerful than the first.
The president characterized the summit as highly successful from his perspective, noting, “We got what I wanted,” and describing the gathering as a “very dominant G7.” Some observers note this aligns with a broader trend of Trump framing his administration’s foreign policy in terms of strength, particularly following recent geopolitical tensions with Iran.
Controversies Following G7 Summit
The president’s “I’m the boss” remark is not the only diplomatic friction point to emerge from the summit. The event was also overshadowed by a dispute between Trump and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. On Friday, Italy’s foreign minister canceled a planned visit to the United States following comments from Trump alleging that Meloni had “begged” him for a photograph during the summit.
“She wanted a picture with me so badly,” Trump told Italy’s La7 broadcaster last week. “I wouldn’t have taken it, but I felt sorry for her.”
Meloni swiftly responded to Trump’s claims on social media, saying she was “stunned” and that his account was made up.
“Neither I nor Italy ever beg,” she added.
During a phone interview with NBC News, Trump doubled down on his claim that Meloni begged for the picture.
“That’s true,” the president said. “She wasn’t there for us.”
“She was a big fan but I don’t want her as a fan because she was not there — along with the NATO group — having to do with the strait,” he added, referring to the Strait of Hormuz, the vital waterway that Iran effectively closed after Israel and the U.S. launched attacks earlier this year.
