President Donald Trump sparked a diplomatic firestorm during a White House Easter lunch on Wednesday, April 1, 2026, by mocking French President Emmanuel Macron and his marriage.
The remarks came as Trump expressed growing frustration with NATO allies for refusing to join the ongoing US military conflict with Iran.
Addressing a laughing crowd, Trump took a personal jab at Macron’s relationship with his wife, Brigitte.
“I call up France, Macron – whose wife treats him extremely badly. Still recovering from the right to the jaw,” Trump said.
He was referring to a controversial May 2025 video from a trip to Vietnam that appeared to show Brigitte shoving the French president’s face, an incident Macron previously dismissed as a “disinformation campaign.”
Trump used the anecdote to highlight France’s refusal to provide naval support in the Persian Gulf.
“And I said, ‘Emmanuel, we’d love to have some help in the Gulf even though we’re setting records on knocking out bad people and knocking out ballistic missiles. We’d love to have some help. If you could, could you please send ships immediately,” Trump continued.
Mimicking a French accent, Trump claimed Macron replied, “No no no, we cannot do that, Donald. We can do that after the war is won.” Trump retorted: “I said, ‘No no, I don’t need after the war is won Emmanuel.”
French officials have since condemned the comments as “beneath contempt,” further straining the NATO alliance.
