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French President Emmanuel Macron said on Tuesday that Europe would not give in to bullies or be intimidated, criticizing US President Donald Trump’s threat of higher tariffs if Europe does not allow it to take over Greenland.
While other European leaders tried to keep a calm tone to prevent the transatlantic dispute from escalating, Macron came out swinging.
France and Europe “will not accept the rule of the strong”, Macron told the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, saying otherwise it would lead to “vassalisation”.
Instead, he said, despite declaring that Europe has moved to a world without law, it will continue to stand for regional sovereignty and the rule of law. That could include the EU responding with tougher trade sanctions of its own.
“We prefer honor to bullies,” Macron said. And we prefer the rule of law to cruelty.
Macron wore aviator sunglasses during his speech, which he said were to protect his eyes due to a stroke at the Elysee Palace.
Trump made the remarks in a rare breach of diplomatic etiquette after announcing plans to impose high tariffs on French wine and champagne and posting private messages from Macron.
French President Emmanuel Macron said on Tuesday that the European Union must not bow to the ‘rule of the strong’. He told the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland that it was surprising that the EU was considering its ‘anti-coercion tool’ against the US (Macron wears dark glasses due to an eye condition).
Trump vowed on Saturday to impose tariff hikes on several European allies from February 1 until the United States agreed to buy Greenland, a move that major EU states recognized as a blackmail.
Washington’s “infinite inventory” of new tariffs is “fundamentally unacceptable,” Macron said in Davos, “especially when they are used against territorial sovereignty.”
What will Europe do?
EU leaders have decided to hold an emergency summit in Greenland on Thursday evening in Brussels.
Tariffs on 93 billion euros of U.S. goods, put in place by the European Union last summer when Trump reached a trade deal with the bloc, could go into effect on February 6.
Macron has pushed for the first use of an anti-coercion tool informally known as the “trade bazooka” that restricts access to US public auctions or trade in services such as technology platforms. “It’s crazy,” Macron said on Tuesday.
Cold connection
Relations with Europe as a whole have deepened as the US president’s push to wrest sovereignty over the Arctic island from NATO member Denmark has hurt European industry and sent shockwaves through financial markets.
Trump was also angry that France refused to become a member of the Peace Council, a new international organization to be chaired. Paris said it was concerned about the impact on the role of the United Nations.
Asked about Macron’s position on the peace board, Trump said early Monday: “I’ve put a 200 percent tariff on wine and champagne, and he’s going to join, but he doesn’t have to.”
A few hours later, Trump posted a screenshot of the exchange with Macron on his real-time social media account.
In the exchange, which a source close to Macron said was accurate, Macron told Trump he “doesn’t understand what you’re doing in Greenland” and offered to organize a Group of 7 meeting that would invite Russia and others. Neither Trump nor the French source disclosed the date of the messages.
A Trump-Macron meeting in Davos is not planned.
Macron confirmed that Trump has no plans to extend his stay in Davos until Wednesday, when he arrives in the Swiss mountain resort town.
“I don’t have to change my schedule,” he said, noting that he had already planned to leave for the evening.
In the year Macron, who will step down in mid-2027, has been the president of France since 2017. His relationship with Trump has had ups and downs since Trump’s first term; Macron is alternating between flattery and tough talk.
French officials have long defended Macron’s efforts to speak directly with Trump, saying the men often exchange calls and texts outside official diplomatic channels.
Those close to Macron have identified with Trump because he stands for democratic principles.
Pierre-Alexandre Langlade, a lawmaker in Macron’s camp, told Reuters that “France has become a target for leading the opposition.”