Tensions between the United States and Europe deepened further after President Donald Trump took a swipe at French President Emmanuel Macron and criticised NATO allies for refusing to back the US-Israel war on Iran.
During a private lunch at the White House on Wednesday, Trump said, “I am gonna call up Macron, whose wife treats him very badly and… still recovering from the right to the jaw”.
The President seemingly referred to the May 2025 viral news video, in which Brigitte Macron was seen pushing President Emmanuel Macron in the face during their arrival in Hanoi, Vietnam.
Macron had earlier dismissed such reports as disinformation.
Delving into the current impasse between the US and France over joining the West Asia war, Trump claimed that although the US didn’t need help, he would ask anyway.
The video was posted briefly on the White House YouTube channel before access was blocked.
“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 claimed.
Attempting mimicry of the French accent, Trump re-enacted Macron’s answer, “No no no, we cannot do that, Donald. We can do that after the war is won”.
“I said, ‘No no, I don’t need after the war is won, Emmanuel,” Trump said.
He added that many of them, referring to NATO allies like Britain and Germany, said they will be there for support after the war gets over.
Labelling NATO as a "paper tiger", Trump had indicated he was considering pulling the United States out of NATO after allies failed to back US military action against Iran, according to an interview with Daily Telegraph.
The new development falls in line with Trump’s long-standing criticism of the military alliance, which he has now ramped up, given Europe’s reluctance to join the war in the Middle East and defend the critical shipping lines around the Strait of Hormuz.