Emmanuel Macron has criticised Donald Trump for mocking his marriage during a private lunch in Washington, calling the comments “neither elegant nor up to standard”. The French president, speaking in South Korea on Thursday, declined to respond directly but made clear his displeasure at the US president’s remarks, which appeared in a now-deleted White House video.
At the lunch on Wednesday, Trump mimicked a French accent and claimed Brigitte Macron “treats him extremely badly”. He appeared to reference a May 2025 video showing Brigitte pushing her husband’s face as they prepared to disembark from a plane, which Macron had previously dismissed as a joke. Trump also criticised NATO allies for not joining the war against Iran, saying he called Macron for help but was told “we can do that after the war is won”.
French politicians reacted with outrage. Yaël Braun-Pivet, president of the lower house of parliament, said Trump’s behaviour was “not up to par” given the serious situation in Iran. Manuel Bompard of La France Insoumise called the comments “absolutely unacceptable”. The conservative daily Le Figaro described it as “another controversial outburst”.
