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U.S. President Donald Trump mocked French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte at a private White House lunch on Wednesday, ridiculing the French leader in personal terms.
His comment was seen as part of an escalating campaign against NATO allies who have refused to join the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran, prompting Macron to respond from Seoul on Thursday that Trump's remarks were "neither elegant nor worthy" of the moment.
"Macron, whose wife treats him extremely badly... he's still recovering from the punch he took to the jaw," Trump said in the video, apparently referring to a viral clip from May last year in which Brigitte Macron appeared to bring both hands to her husband's face in what resembled a slap.
The Elysee Palace had described the incident at the time as "a squabble."
Trump said he had asked Macron for military support in the Gulf. "I said: 'Emmanuel, we'd like a little help in the Gulf, even though we're breaking all the records in terms of eliminating the bad guys and destroying ballistic missiles,'" Trump recounted.
He then imitated Macron with a French accent: "'No, no, no... we can't do that, Donald. We can do it once the war is won.'"
Macron has refused to authorize French airspace for U.S. military flights connected to the Iran war, a decision that has put him directly in Trump's crosshairs.
Trump has escalated his rhetoric against NATO throughout the week, calling the alliance a "PAPER TIGER" and "COWARD" on Truth Social.
"The United States will remember," he declared during a cabinet meeting.
Macron responded Thursday during a state visit to South Korea. "The remarks I have heard are neither elegant nor worthy, and they do not merit a response," Macron said from Seoul.
French political figures reacted sharply.
National Assembly President Yael Braun-Pivet said on Franceinfo: "Frankly, this is not up to standard. We are talking about the future of the world, right now in Iran it has consequences for the lives of millions of people, people are dying on the battlefields, and we have a president who laughs and mocks others."
Manuel Bompard, coordinator of the La France Insoumise party, said on BFM-TV: "You know the extent of my disagreements with the president of the Republic, but that Donald Trump allows himself to speak to him like that and to speak like that about his wife, I find it absolutely unacceptable."
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