- Emmanuel Macron has issued a sharp public warning to Donald Trump, criticising what he described as inconsistent and unserious messaging from Washington as tensions around the Iran conflict escalate.
Speaking to reporters during a visit to South Korea, the French president said the war demanded a measured and disciplined approach, cautioning against contradictory statements from the United States.
“This is not a show,” Macron said, adding that leaders should avoid sending mixed signals during a conflict. “When you want to be serious, you don’t say every day the opposite of what you said the day before. And maybe you shouldn’t be speaking every day. You should just let things quieten down.”
The remarks mark one of the most direct criticisms of Trump by a Western ally since the start of the Iran war, highlighting growing unease among European leaders over the US president’s communication style and strategic clarity.
Trump has repeatedly offered shifting explanations of his objectives in the conflict, at times delivering conflicting statements within the same day, fuelling uncertainty among international partners.
Tensions between the two leaders escalated further after Trump appeared to mock Macron and his wife, Brigitte Macron, referencing a widely circulated video from last year. “He is still recovering,” Trump said to reporters, prompting backlash in France and criticism from political figures across the spectrum.
The dispute widened on Wednesday when Trump criticised France for refusing to allow US military aircraft to pass through its airspace—a restriction that aligns Paris with other European countries including Spain, Austria and Switzerland.
The increasingly public exchange underscores a rare fracture in transatlantic unity at a time when Western coordination is seen as critical to managing the escalating situation in Iran.