French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday sharply criticised remarks made by US President Donald Trump about his marriage, calling them “neither elegant nor up to standard”. Macron’s remark came after Trump mocked him and his wife during a private lunch in Washington.
Speaking to reporters upon arrival in South Korea, Macron made it clear he would not escalate the issue further. “So I am not going to respond to them – they do not merit a response,” he said.
How did it all begin?
The controversy resulted from comments Trump made at a closed-door lunch on Wednesday attended by faith leaders and government officials, where he criticised NATO allies for not supporting the US-led war against Iran. During his remarks, Trump mimicked a French accent and made personal comments about Macron’s wife, Brigitte Macron, suggesting she “treats him extremely badly”.
He also appeared to reference a widely circulated video from May 2025 that showed Brigitte Macron pushing her husband’s face as they prepared to disembark from a plane in Vietnam. At the time, Macron dismissed the moment as playful, denying any suggestion of a domestic dispute and describing it as the couple “joking as we often do”.
Trump’s comments extended beyond personal jabs to diplomatic matters. Recounting an alleged conversation with Macron about seeking French support in the Gulf, Trump claimed he had asked France to send naval assistance during the ongoing conflict with Iran. He then imitated Macron’s supposed response in a French accent, suggesting France would only assist after the war had concluded.
The remarks were briefly posted in a video on the White House’s YouTube channel before being removed, but not before sparking widespread backlash in France.
Political leaders condemn Trump’s remarks
Political leaders in France condemned the comments. President of the National Assembly of France Yaël Braun-Pivet described them as falling short of the dignity expected at such a moment. “We are currently discussing the future of the world… and we have a president who is laughing, who is mocking others,” she told public broadcaster Franceinfo.
Even critics of Macron rallied to his defence. Deputy of the French National Assembly Manuel Bompard said that while he disagreed with Macron politically, Trump’s remarks were “absolutely unacceptable”, particularly the references to his wife.