Paris [France], April 30 (ANI): French President Emmanuel Macron has responded to a remark by King Charles III directed at U.S. President Donald Trump, in which the British monarch appeared to poke fun at Trump’s comments about European allies.
During a visit to the United States, King Charles said in an address, “You recently commented, Mr. President, that if it were not for the United States, European countries would be speaking German. Dare I say that if it weren’t for us, you’d be speaking French?”
The comment drew applause and laughter from the audience, including Trump.
Macron later shared the clip on social media, captioning it, “That would be chic!”
Trump had earlier asserted American dominance during a speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos.
“The USA is the economic engine of the planet. And when America booms, the entire world booms. Without us, right now you’d all be speaking German and a little Japanese, perhaps,” he said on January 21.
He also made light of Macron’s decision to wear sunglasses due to an eye health issue during the same event.
“I watched him yesterday with those beautiful sunglasses. What the hell happened?” Trump said.
Earlier, on April 2, Trump made personal remarks about Macron, mocking his relationship with his wife while criticizing France for refusing to join the U.S.-Israeli offensive against Iran.
“I called up France, Macron, whose wife treats him extremely badly, (he is) still recovering from the right to the jaw,” Trump said, as quoted by CNN, apparently referring to a 2025 video in which Brigitte Macron appeared to slap Macron aboard the French presidential aircraft.
The back-and-forth between Washington and Paris has been ongoing. On March 17, 2025, during a White House press briefing, Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt responded to a question about a French European Parliament member who had suggested that the United States return the Statue of Liberty, arguing that the country no longer represents the values the monument embodies.
Leavitt dismissed the suggestion, saying, “Absolutely not. And my advice to that unnamed, low-level French politician would be to remind them that it’s only because of the United States of America that the French are not speaking German right now. So they should be very grateful to our great country.”
France has continued to face pressure as tensions persist over its refusal to join a conflict it did not support. The country was also drawn into the situation on Saturday when Iran reportedly fired at a French vessel attempting to exit the Strait of Hormuz, according to The New York Times.
Macron said the incident involved responsibility on both sides, adding that it was partly triggered by Trump’s decision to maintain the U.S. blockade, which led Iran to withdraw from plans to reopen the strait. (ANI)
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