'We Will Not Give In To Bullies': Macron Responds To Trump
- 21.01.2026, 10:14
The French president reacted sharply to the statements of the White House chief of staff.
Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, French President Emmanuel Macron sharply criticized threats from Donald Trump and said Europe has no intention of giving in to pressure and intimidation, Reuters reports.
"Europe will not yield to bullies and will not allow itself to be intimidated," Macron said, alluding to the US president's threats to impose punitive trade duties on the EU.
The politician said France and the EU as a whole were not going to "passively accept the law of the strongest."
"If we accept this, it will lead to our vassalization," he stressed, adding that Europe prefers "respect to intimidation and the rule of law to brute force."
Macron emphasized that despite the world's movement towards force and arbitrariness, Europe will continue to defend territorial integrity, the rule of law and is ready to respond with trade measures if necessary.
The French leader's blunt rhetoric came after Trump threatened to impose duties of 200% on French wines and champagne and announced his intention to raise tariffs against European countries unless they agree to hand Greenland over to US control.
Macron called the "endless accumulation of new tariffs" by Washington "fundamentally unacceptable," especially when trade is used as a tool to pressure sovereignty issues.
"To use tariffs as leverage in territorial disputes is unacceptable," he said.
Additional resonance was caused when Trump published a private correspondence with Macron the day before. In one of the messages, the French president, in particular, directly wrote that he did not understand the US actions regarding Greenland, and suggested holding an international meeting to discuss the situation. In Paris, the publication of the correspondence was regarded as a gross violation of diplomatic rules.
In addition, Trump criticized Macron for refusing to join the "Peace Council" and called the French leader unnecessary.
With the conflict as a backdrop, European Union countries agreed to hold an emergency summit and are considering retaliatory measures, including the imposition of duties on American goods. Macron called for the use of all available EU tools, including the so-called anti-coercive mechanism. At the same time, he admitted that the situation itself looks absurd:
"It's crazy that we even got to this point," the politician said, emphasizing that Europe was not looking for confrontation.
Macron also made it clear that he was not going to change his plans for a possible meeting with Trump in Davos:
"I don't need to change my schedule," he said, confirming that he would leave the forum at the scheduled time.
According to Reuters, the French president's entourage believes he has been in Trump's crosshairs precisely because of his tough stance in defense of democratic principles and European sovereignty.