Jamaine Punzalan

French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte Macron celebrate after his victory in France's presidential election, at the Champ de Mars in Paris, on April 24, 2022. Thomas Coex, AFP/File

Article (news)

Agence France-Presse

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px;display:block" width="960"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/177509184580620220424-france-election-macron-AFP.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte Macron celebrate after his victory in France&#x27;s presidential election, at the Champ de Mars in Paris, on April 24, 2022. Thomas Coex, AFP/File</span></span></span></div><p>US President Donald Trump made fun of the French president and his wife during a private lunch Wednesday, as he lambasted NATO allies for not joining the war against Iran that has roiled the Middle East.</p><p>&quot;We didn&#x27;t need them, but I asked anyway,&quot; Trump told a private lunch in a video posted briefly on the White House YouTube channel before access was blocked.</p><p>&quot;I call up France, Macron -- whose wife treats him extremely badly. Still recovering from the right to the jaw,&quot; Trump said.</p><p>He was referring to a May 2025 news video that appeared to show <a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/world/2025/5/26/macron-denies-dispute-with-wife-blames-disinformation-0126">Brigitte Macron shoving the French president&#x27;s face</a> on a trip to Vietnam, which Macron later rejected as part of a disinformation campaign.</p><p>&quot;And I said, &#x27;Emmanuel, we&#x27;d love to have some help in the Gulf even though we&#x27;re setting records on knocking out bad people and knocking out ballistic missiles. We&#x27;d love to have some help. If you could, could you please send ships immediately,&#x27;&quot; Trump continued.</p><p>He then mimics a French accent to give Macron&#x27;s alleged answer: &quot;&#x27;No no no, we cannot do that, Donald. We can do that after the war is won,&#x27;&quot; he said.</p><p>&quot;I said, &#x27;No no, I don&#x27;t need after the war is won Emmanuel,’&quot; Trump said.</p><p>&quot;So I learned about NATO -- NATO won&#x27;t be there if we ever have the big one, you know what I mean by the big one,&quot; Trump said, without elaborating.</p><p>He also branded NATO a &quot;paper tiger,&quot; the latest salvo by Trump and his top officials against the transatlantic alliance since he returned to the White House last year.</p><p>On Tuesday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the United States &quot;is going to have to <a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/world/2026/4/1/rubio-says-us-will-have-to-reexamine-nato-relationship-1038">reexamine&quot; its relationship with NATO</a> once the war against Iran has concluded.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/3/26/philippines-seeks-broader-security-cooperation-with-nato-0943">Philippines seeks broader security cooperation with NATO</a></div><div><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/g7DJOprUphI?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><br/></div>

<p>US President Donald Trump made fun of the French president and his wife during a private lunch Wednesday, as he lambasted NATO allies for not joining the war against Iran that has roiled the Middle East.</p>

US President Donald Trump made fun of the French president and his wife during a private lunch Wednesday, as he lambasted NATO allies for not joining the war against Iran that has roiled the Middle East.

Trump takes a dig at Macron, saying wife treats him 'badly'

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Trump takes a dig at Macron, saying wife treats him 'badly'

Agence France-Presse

Published April 02, 2026 09:06 AM PHT

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Updated April 02, 2026 09:34 AM PHT

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