Emmanuel Macron has said Donald Trump’s comments about his marriage were “neither elegant nor up to standard” after the US president put on an accent and mocked his French counterpart and his wife during a private lunch in Washington.
French President Emmanuel Macron, reacting to US President Trump’s recent statement, has said that Trump talks too much and his speech neither meets the requirements of decency nor is it in line with international diplomatic standards. According to him, such statements create a negative impression at the international level.
President Macron added that it is important for world leaders to adopt a cautious, balanced and dignified style of speech, because their words affect not only bilateral relations but also global politics.
He stressed that politeness, caution and diplomatic delicacy are of utmost importance in the speech of world leaders, and Trump’s statements often deviate from these basic principles, which can create uncertainty.
The dispute intensified when Donald Trump made sarcastic remarks about the French president and his wife, Brigitte Macron, during a private lunch.
Arriving in South Korea on Thursday, Macron made clear his displeasure at Trump’s comments, which appeared briefly in a video on the White House YouTube channel before being removed. “So I am not going to respond to them – they do not merit a response,” Macron told reporters.
There was anger in France after Trump appeared to make fun of Macron and his wife during the lunch on Wednesday, guests at which included faith leaders and government figures in Washington, as he lambasted Nato allies for not joining the war against Iran.
Mimicking a French accent, Trump said Macron’s wife, Brigitte, “treats him extremely badly”. Speaking about approaching France for help on Iran, Trump said: “We didn’t need them, but I asked anyway.”
He added: “I call up France, Macron – whose wife treats him extremely badly. Still recovering from the right to the jaw.” Trump appeared to be referring to a May 2025 video that appeared to show Brigitte Macron pushing her husband’s face as they prepared to disembark from a plane on an official visit to Vietnam.
The video, shot by an Associated Press camera operator, showed Macron appearing in the doorway of the plane at the start of a visit to Hanoi. His wife’s hand appears to shove him, causing him to step back before recovering and waving. At the time Macron denied any “domestic dispute” with his wife, saying that they were “joking as we often do”.
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