French President Emmanuel Macron directly criticized President Donald Trump on Thursday. He said the changing statements from the U.S. leader about the war with Iran and the Strait of Hormuz were damaging trust among allies. He added, “Perhaps you shouldn’t talk every day.”
Macron made these remarks during his visit to South Korea, according to the Daily Mail. He rejected the idea of using military force to open the Strait of Hormuz, which is a key waterway between Iran and Oman that usually carries about one-fifth of the world’s traded crude oil.
He stated that forcing the route open was “unrealistic” and claimed that a lasting solution would need negotiations with Iran and a stop to the fighting.
“Some people support the idea of freeing the Strait of Hormuz through military force, a position sometimes held by the United States, though it has changed,” the French president said.
“This was never the option we supported because it is unrealistic.” He noted that such an operation would take too long and leave ships vulnerable to threats from Iran’s Revolutionary Guards and ballistic missiles.
🔴 Emmanuel Macron répond à Donald Trump : “Ses propos ne sont ni élégants, ni à la hauteur” pic.twitter.com/oISUJrSS94
— LCI (@LCI) April 2, 2026
Macron then focused on Trump’s messages about the conflict and NATO. “This is not a show,” he said. “We’re talking about war and peace.” Without directly naming Trump, he mentioned that leaders should not say “one day the opposite of what we said the day before.”
In separate comments, Macron pointed out that alliances like NATO rely on trust and warned that creating “daily doubt” about commitments weakens the alliance.
The French president’s criticism followed Trump increasing pressure on allies to help reopen the strait while threatening NATO. Reuters reported that Trump, frustrated that European countries had refused to send naval forces to open the waterway, stated he was considering withdrawing the United States from the alliance. In a Reuters interview, Trump asked about NATO, “Wouldn’t you if you were me?”
On Friday, Trump escalated his remarks again, stating on Truth Social that the United States could open the Strait of Hormuz “with a little more time.” He claimed the U.S. could “easily OPEN THE HORMUZ STRAIT, TAKE THE OIL, & MAKE A FORTUNE,” as governments worldwide sought a way to restore shipping through the route.
🚨🇺🇸🇫🇷 Trump just mocked Macron by saying his wife “treats him extremely badly” and he’s “still recovering from the right to the jaw.”
Brigitte Macron is 71. Emmanuel Macron is 48. They have been married since 2007.pic.twitter.com/UhSatPDagD https://t.co/3U34eEvDb5
— Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) April 2, 2026
Macron has maintained this stance for weeks. In mid-March, he declared that France would “never” participate in operations to open or “liberate” the strait while fighting was ongoing. However, he did leave open the possibility of joining a postwar maritime security effort once the situation improved.
During his meeting on Friday with South Korean President Lee Jae Myung in Seoul, Macron stated that both countries would collaborate to help reopen the strait and reduce economic uncertainty related to the war in the Middle East.
This exchange reveals yet another public disagreement between Washington and Paris as the war in Iran continues to test Western alliances. Macron also mentioned that Trump’s comments mocking him and his wife, Brigitte Macron, were “neither elegant, nor commensurate” with the occasion.
