President Donald Trump is no stranger to confrontation with world leaders. From Iran to Venezuela, from Greenland to the entire continent of Europe, Trump is comfortable with saying exactly what he thinks and ruffling feathers and the stock market in the process. European leaders in particular have struggled with how to deal with Trump in his second term, as he adopts a more aggressive ‘America First’ foreign policy. This has led to some eyebrow-raising encounters on the world stage. French president Emmanuel Macron in particular has had a fraught relationship with Trump, with the US president once accusing him of being a “publicity-seeking” individual who “always gets it wrong”. Below we look at the history of the alternating tensions and rapport between the frenemies.
Handshake Wars
Macron and Trump first met in 2017 at a Nato summit in Brussels during the American leader’s first term in power, which he began in much the same way as his current one: by accusing the “obsolete” alliance of taking advantage of the US. The power play between the two began on that day with an awkwardly intense handshake that turned both their knuckles white. The French president later admitted that his forceful gesture “wasn’t innocent” and was a “moment of truth” to signal that he would not make “small concessions, not even symbolic ones”. The following week, Trump told reporters: “He’s a great guy. Smart. Strong. Loves holding my hand.”
Le Bromance Era
The leaders enjoyed a brief rapport, with Macron making a trip to the US to visit Trump in April 2018. Experts noted that their body language appeared more relaxed and jovial and the two made complimentary remarks about each other. But the period was short-lived and had fizzled spectacularly by November that year with Macron calling Trump’s “America First” policy “insane” in the long-term and proposed the concept of a “true European army” that was not dependent on the US. Trump hit out at comments Macron made about Nato being “brain dead” for withdrawing US troops from Syria as “very, very nasty”, “insulting” and “disrespectful”. He later toned this down by saying that the US and France had “done a lot of good things together as partners.” Before the end of Trump’s presidency, the two didn’t see eye-to-eye on key issues including Ukraine and made a series of subtle jabs about their differences.
“What the hell happened?” Trump mocks sunglasses after Davos
Amid increasing tensions with Nato Trump chose to address the Davos forum in March this year by poking fun at Macron’s choice to wear sunglasses due to an eye condition. Trump’s comments came after his intensifying threats to seize Greenland by force causing increasing frustration and impatience among his European allies. He took aim at Macron by commenting on “those beautiful sunglasses”. “What the hell happened?” He added to laughter from the audience, before he went on to commend Macron for acting “tough” in their meetings. “I like him, I actually like him. Hard to believe, isn’t it?” the US leader continued before he accused France of taking advantage of the US over prescription drugs for over 30 years.
Trump says Macron treated “extremely badly” by wife Brigitte
Weeks later Trump mocked Macron in perhaps his lowest blow yet, by saying he is treated “extremely badly” by his wife in a video briefly shared by the White House before it was deleted on 1 April. “I called up France, Macron, whose wife treats him extremely badly and he’s still recovering from the right to the jaw,” Trump said, seemingly referring to Macron being pushed in the face during an incident on a plane in Vietnam. He was recounting a conversation he had with the French leader regarding military support, and said he had asked Macron to send assistance to the Gulf but was told France could only help after the conflict ended. Trump criticised the hesitancy and said immediate support was needed rather than delayed action. Asked about the remarks during a trip to South Korea, Macron said they were “neither elegant nor up to standard” in the aftermath. The same month, Trump hit out at podcaster Candace Owens and said Macron’s wife Brigitte was “far more attractive” hinting at her feud with the Macrons.
US would be ‘chic’ as French-speaking country, Macron teases
In a speech at a White House state dinner on Tuesday, King Charles joked if it were not for the UK, the US would be speaking French. “You recently commented, Mr President, that if it were not for the United States, European countries would be speaking German,” he said. “Dare I say that if it wasn’t for us, you’d be speaking French?” In a response on X, President Macron said: “That would be chic!”
