Emmanuel Macron has blasted Donald Trump after the 79-year-old made a joke about the French leader and his wife while attacking NATO for not joining the Iran war.
During a rambling speech at the White House on Wednesday, Trump referenced a shocking incident last May in which France’s first lady, Brigitte Macron, appeared to shove Macron in the face as the couple was departing a plane in Vietnam.
“I call up France, Macron, whose wife treats him extremely badly, still recovering from the right to the jaw,” Trump said.
Speaking to reporters in South Korea, Macron said: “The words that I was able to hear, which you refer to, are neither elegant nor of a high standard. That’s it. So I’m not going to answer it, it doesn’t deserve an answer.”
The remarks about Mrs. Macron—who first met the French president when he was 15, and she was his married 39-year-old drama teacher—have sparked a diplomatic spat between the U.S. and one of its top NATO allies.
Trump has already caused tensions between the U.S. and France after blasting the country for not assisting with his war in Iran. France has also blocked Israeli planes from flying weapons through its airspace.
Yaël Braun-Pivet, president of France’s lower house of parliament, said Trump’s comments about the French president and first lady were not “up to par.”
“We are currently discussing the future of the world. Right now in Iran, this is having consequences for the lives of millions of people. People are dying on the battlefield, and we have a president who is laughing, who is mocking others,” she told Franceinfo.
Trump further attacked France and what he called the “paper tiger” NATO alliance because other members are refusing to get dragged into the Iran war or efforts to reopen the Strait of Hormuz shipping route during his Wednesday speech.
“I say, Emmanuel, we’d love to have some help in the Gulf. Even though we’re setting records and knocking out bad people and knocking out ballistic missiles, we’d love to have some help. If you could, please send the ships immediately.”
“‘No, no, no, cannot do that, Donald,’” Trump added, attempting a bizarre French accent while imitating Macron.
“‘We can do that after the war is won.’ I said, ‘No, no, I don’t need after the war is won, Emmanuel.’ Many of them said, ‘We’ll be there after the war is completed,’” Trump continued.
“And so I learned about NATO. NATO won’t be there if we ever have the big one. You know what I mean by the big one? If we ever have the big one, hopefully we won’t, [our] relationship’s very good with the big one, better than with NATO, but they won’t be there.”
Macron, 48, previously downplayed the viral plane incident in which his 72-year-old wife appeared to strike him in the face, telling reporters at the time that the couple were just “horsing around.”
The Daily Beast has contacted the White House for comment.
