Paris —
French President Emmanuel Macron hit back Thursday after U.S. President Donald Trump criticized France for refusing to take part in the U.S.-Israel attack on Iran and ridiculed Macron’s relationship with his wife.
The two leaders have touted their friendly relationship in the past, particularly during President Trump’s first term. But at a private event Wednesday, President Trump criticized the French leader for not coming to the aid of the United States in the Middle East.
“I called Mr. Macron in France. His wife treats him very badly, but (he) is still recovering from an injury to his right jaw,” the US president said, apparently referring to a 2025 video in which Brigitte Macron appears to shove her husband in the face on the French presidential plane.
Pressed to respond to Trump’s remarks during an official visit to South Korea on Thursday, President Macron said the American side’s words were “not classy, not up to standards.”
Macron’s wife, who is nearly 25 years his senior, is a sensitive topic for the French president. Last year, the couple filed a defamation lawsuit against American podcaster Candace Owens over baseless claims that Bridget could be a man.
European allies broadly supported attacks on Iran’s nuclear infrastructure by the United States and Israel last year, but support is limited by the scale of this attack and the lack of a clear strategy.
France has sent part of its military to the Persian Gulf region, sending jets and air defense systems to protect Arab allies in the Gulf and deploying naval assets off the coast of Cyprus, a European Union member that has been hit by drone attacks.
However, the French leader refused to block American operations with naval assets to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. France’s offer to provide protection vessels after fighting peaks has drawn derision from the White House.
But France remained steadfast and, like its European allies Spain and Italy, banned the use of its air bases by U.S. aircraft participating in bombing operations.
The leaders of France and the United States had a cordial relationship during President Trump’s first term, but have clashed over international policy over the past year.
What started as a very public battle of wills, with the two physically attempting to shake each other’s hands during their first meeting of Trump’s first term, has turned into a more personal sparring match. Trump has shared personal messages from the French president and regularly shared his impressions of the French people in public.
As for Mr. Macron, he was clearly irritated at having to respond to Mr. Trump’s comments about his wife on Thursday, and during Mr. Trump’s second term he was used to sharing occasional harsh rebukes about White House policies and tariffs.
President Trump’s recent comments sparked a backlash in France, where politicians are allowed far more privacy in their private lives than in the United States.
Manuel Bompard, a powerful far-left lawmaker, called the US president’s comments “absolutely unacceptable,” while Yaël Braunpivet, the centrist speaker of France’s National Assembly, also criticized President Trump.
“We are currently having a conversation about the future of the world,” she said. “We are seeing our fellow citizens being extremely affected. During this time, some are dying on the battlefield, and we have a president who is laughing and mocking others,” she told French radio station France Info.
Elina Baudier Kim contributed to this report.
