French President Emmanuel Macron said on Thursday Donald Trump’s mocking comments about his marriage did not merit a response, calling them “neither elegant nor up to standard”.
But after days of tensions over US-Israeli strikes on Iran and over NATO, an apparently irritated Macron launched a broadside of his own, saying “there is too much talk” and “this is not a show”.
On Wednesday, Trump made fun of the French president and his wife at a private lunch as he lambasted NATO allies for not joining the war against Iran. The US president imitated a French accent and said that Macron’s wife “treats him extremely badly” and that Macron was still “recovering from the right to the jaw”.
On a visit to Seoul, Macron, who was accompanied by his wife Brigitte, said Trump’s comments were “neither elegant nor up to standard”.
“So I am not going to respond to them — they do not merit a response,” Macron told reporters.
The focus instead should be on “work towards de-escalation” in the Middle East and a ceasefire, Macron said.
“There is too much talk, and it’s all over the place,” the French president said, apparently referring to numerous policy U-turns by Trump.
“We all need stability, calm, a return to peace — this isn’t a show!” Macron said.
