Donald Trump jabs Emmanuel Macron over comments about his early departure from G7

What started with a handshake advanced into turbulence at 33,000 toes as one in all diplomacy’s oddest relationships took one other unusual flip.

G7 summit LIVE: Leaders fail to achieve formidable joint agreements on key points after Trump’s exit

The political chemistry that when outlined the Trump–Macron dynamic — immortalised by a famously tense 29-second handshake in 2017 — was nowhere to be seen in midair Tuesday when U.S. President Donald Trump blasted his French counterpart on social media.

As Trump departed the G7 summit early, French President Emmanuel Macron tried to reframe the exit as strategic.

“There is indeed an offer to meet and exchange,” Macron advised reporters, suggesting the U.S. would possibly assist dealer a ceasefire between Israel and Iran.

But aboard Air Force One, Trump responded with a swipe that accused Macron of showboating.

“Wrong! He is ‘publicity seeking’ and always gets it wrong,” Trump said in a post on his Truth Social site. “He has no idea why I am now on my way to Washington… Much bigger than that. Stay tuned!”

The takedown punctured Macron’s narrative and revealed a rupture in a relationship that has featured theater, flattery and contact.

Macron, who as soon as styled himself as a “Trump whisperer,” has lengthy used allure and proximity to attempt to handle the unpredictable U.S. chief, typically contrasting himself with extra overtly essential friends like Germany’s Angela Merkel. But these efforts are far from foolproof.

But as Trump grew to become more and more aggressive in his comments about Iran, urging Tehran’s “ UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER,” Macron ultimately provided a blunt counter evaluation, saying a push for regime change in Iran would spark “chaos” and additional destabilize the Middle East.

“We do not want to see Iran acquire nuclear weapons or ballistic capabilities,” Macron advised reporters on the G7. “But I imagine the best mistake at present can be to pursue regime change in Iran via navy means, as that may result in chaos.”

Recalling the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq, he continued: “Does anyone think what was done in Iraq in 2003 was a good idea? Does anyone think what was done in Libya last decade was a good idea? No.”

Macron also noted that he’d had ″the best relations in the world″ with Trump during the U.S. president’s first term.

Their diplomatic style has never been purely transactional — and has often been tactile. From their earliest encounters, physical gestures have been part of the pageantry: Trump’s firm pats and arm-yanks, Macron’s theatrical poise and instinctive touches.

The roots of their rapport run deep. In 2017, Macron dazzled Trump with a Bastille Day parade, formal dinners and white-knuckle handshakes. A viral 29-second grip — knuckles white, jaws clenched — set the tone for a relationship of theatrical dominance.

The physical choreography evolved over the years: Trump yanking Macron’s arm at the Élysée, Macron placing a steadying hand on Trump’s thigh in Washington. Their February 2025 White House meeting brought a refined version of the dance as Macron delivered corrections with charm, countering Trump’s Ukraine comments while laughing at Fort Knox jokes.

Trump joked about Macron’s marriage last month after a video of Brigitte Macron playfully pushing her husband surfaced. “Make sure the door remains closed,” he quipped, before adding: “They’re fine.”

But the chill had already begun to set in.

This month, Macron traveled to Greenland — a territory Trump has floated buying — to express solidarity with Danish sovereignty.

“This is not what is done between allies,” Macron said, in a message to Trump.

The G7 summit, intended to project Western unity on Russia and Iran, instead showcased fracture. Trump skipped the final sessions, refused to back new Russia sanctions, and warned Tehran to “immediately evacuate.”

Macron — who announced Tuesday that France will host the next G7 summit in 2026 at the lakeside Alpine resort of Evian-les-Bains — tried to frame the early exit as useful. Trump’s one-line rebuttal shut that down.

Trump’s clash with Macron wasn’t the only unscripted moment to puncture the summit’s polished exterior. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni was filmed rolling her eyes as Macron whispered in her ear during a roundtable — a clip that quickly lit up social media. It was a flash of visible tension at a gathering meant to project unity amid war, economic uncertainty and global unrest.

Later aboard Air Force One, Trump softened his tone. When reporters asked about the outburst, he replied: “That was Emmanuel — nice guy but he doesn’t get it right too often.”

The pivot was familiar.

“It’s difficult to be confident about any clear arc in President Trump’s reactions to people or events,” said Dana Allin, U.S. policy expert at the International Institute for Strategic Studies. “He tends to be disinhibited — he says what’s on his mind, and that can change quickly.”

There was no handshake this time. No shoulder clap. Just a flick of the thumb — and a public slap across the alliance.

The dynamic, Allin suggests, reflects a shift in how Europe engages with Washington. In Trump’s first term, many European leaders treated his behavior as a storm they could wait out.

“Now it seems like a more permanent thing,” Allin said.