Diplomatic crisis
Trump Humiliates Macron by Leaking Private Text on Greenland Ambitions: "I Don't Understand What You're Doing"
Trump humiliates Macron in public leak: "I don't understand what you are doing about Greenland." The President slams Europe and shares maps of a US-annexed Greenland in a wild social media escalation.
U.S. President Donald Trump escalated international tensions by publicly sharing a private text message from French President Emmanuel Macron, amid European fears over Trump's aggressive push to acquire Greenland. The leaked message, posted on Trump's social media, reveals Macron's confusion and diplomatic overtures, highlighting cracks in transatlantic relations.
In the screenshot, captioned by Trump as "Message from President of France Emmanuel Macron," the French leader writes: "From President Macron to President Trump: My friend, we are fully aligned on Syria, we can do great things on Iran, I don't understand what you are doing about Greenland.
Let's try to build big things:
1) I can organize a G7 meeting after Davos in Paris on Thursday afternoon. I can invite the Ukrainians, Danes, Syrians and Russians on the sidelines of the conference.
2) Let's have dinner together in Paris on Thursday before you return to the US. Emmanuel."
The Elysee Palace confirmed the authenticity of the message, which comes days after Trump urged the European Union to wield its "biggest trade weapon" against the U.S. in response to his Greenland ambitions. Trump's post appears aimed at embarrassing Macron while underscoring his unyielding stance on territorial expansion.
Compounding the controversy, Trump shared doctored images portraying U.S. dominance. One depicts him in the Oval Office facing Western leaders, with a map coloring Canada, Greenland, Venezuela, and Cuba in American flags, a not-so-subtle hint at annexation plans. Another edited photo shows Trump planting the U.S. flag in Greenland, flanked by Vice President J.D. Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, with a sign reading: "Greenland, U.S. Territory, Established 2026."
Trump further lambasted the UK for ceding sovereignty over Diego Garcia in the Chagos Islands to Mauritius, calling it an "act of total weakness." He argued this is "yet another reason in a very long list of national security reasons why we need to buy Greenland."
The leaks and memes have drawn sharp criticism from European allies, who view Trump's Greenland pursuit as a provocative overreach. Denmark, Greenland's sovereign, has repeatedly rebuffed U.S. overtures, while EU leaders express alarm over potential disruptions to NATO and Arctic security.