Surrounded on stage by world leaders in Egypt to celebrate his historic peace deal between Israel and Hamas, President Donald Trump thanked them all for their support.
But in that moment on October 13, French President Emmanuel Macron was noticeably absent from the group.
‘France, thank you very much,’ Trump began.
‘Emmanuel, I would imagine that Emanuel is standing some place behind me, where is he?’ he added.
‘He’s there,’ Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney replied, pointing out the French president in the audience.
‘I can’t believe it, you’re taking a low-key approach today,’ Trump then said, looking over at Macron.
All leaders laughed heartily at the stinging remark, apparently familiar with the French president’s vanity in the public eye. Macron is known to push his way into the mix of world leaders every time they gather at a summit, proving himself and France as an important leader equal to the others on the stage.
‘It was the perfect gibe because Macron is well known for grandstanding and vanity,’ one Washington insider familiar with their relationship told the Daily Mail. ‘It was a friendly ribbing, but Macron felt the burn in the French press.’
US President Donald Trump speaks about the Gaza peace deal with heads of state and government during Peace Summit in Sharm El Sheik, Egypt, on October 13
President Donald Trump talks to President Emmanuel Macron during a lengthy handshake on October 13
Back home, of course, Macron has been struggling to govern amid plummeting approval ratings, a slim majority, and increasing calls for his resignation.
Macron later approached Trump on the sidelines, gripping the president’s hand and slapping him on the arm in one of the Frenchman’s now-legendary long handshakes.
Trump was ready. For 26 seconds, Trump pulled Macron toward him and spoke quietly in his ear.
Macron’s grip was tight, but Trump controlled his movements and even pointed Macron toward the cameras as he tried to pivot and look away. At one point, Macron looked blankly forward as the president spoke.
Trump grinned at the camera and raised his arms after Macron left, seemingly aware of the optics.
It is unclear what they were discussing during the exchange, but the viral moment was just the latest in a string of long handshakes between the two leaders.
Those who have watched the French president grip Trump for years say that Macron is anxious to prove himself as an equal to the American president.
President of France Emmanuel Macron attends the Sharm El-Sheikh Peace Summit
President Trump signs the Middle East Peace Plan in Egypt
‘It is expected of the Président de la République that he appears as a peer of the US president, and Macron has sought to live up to the test – including with such seemingly minor things as handshakes,’ Peter Rough, the Hudson Institute’s Director of the Center on Europe and Eurasia, told the Daily Mail.
But others in Washington view Macron’s clutch as increasingly desperate.
‘I think Macron has an inferiority complex, dare I say a Napoleonic complex,’ a second Washington insider told the Daily Mail, mocking the French president’s short stature.
Trump’s victory in Gaza was a humiliation for Macron, after his failed attempt to isolate Trump on the global stage. Indeed, Macron led the way on prominent European countries recognizing the state of Palestine at the UN Summit in September.
People close to Trump told the Daily Mail that he viewed Macron’s efforts as pointless virtue signaling that would not end in a peace deal.
‘Here’s the good news,’ Trump told reporters at the time. ‘What he says doesn’t matter.’
Macron also took a shot at Trump during his United Nations visit by publicly declaring that the American president could not win the Nobel peace prize until he ended the war in Gaza.
‘The Nobel Peace Prize is only possible if you stop this conflict,’ Macron said, appearing to snipe at Trump.
While the ceasefire deal went into effect on October 10, there have been some bumps along the way. Since then, the Israeli government has claimed Hamas killed two of its soldiers, and retaliated with airstrikes on October 19 – Hamas said it had ‘no connection’ to the killings, according to NPR.
Nine days later, Netanyahu directed Israeli military to carry out ‘forceful strikes’ in Gaza on Tuesday after accusing Hamas of violating the ceasefire terms and failing to return the remains of a hostage. Hamas said in a statement, per NPR, that the claims were ‘baseless and aimed at misleading public opinion.’
Prior to these breaks in the ceasefire, sources close to the White House told the Daily Mail they were surprised the French president had not yet publicly nominated Trump for the Nobel Prize.
And Macron still has not signaled any plans of doing so. The French presidential palace did not return the Daily Mail’s request for comment.
‘President Macron made it very clear that it is not for him, but for the Nobel Committee, to nominate someone for the Nobel Prize,’ press counselor for the French embassy Sébastien Fagart told the Daily Mail.
But that has not stopped several world leaders from publicly recommending the president for the honor, including, most recently, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and President of Argentina Javier Milei.
The president ‘deserves the Nobel Peace Prize many times over,’ White House Deputy Press Secretary Anna Kelly told the Daily Mail.
France’s President Emmanuel Macron walks with his wife Brigitte Macron (right)
President Trump and First Lady Melania Trump meet with France’s President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte Macron in 2019
‘The president’s legacy is already cemented as Peacemaker-in-Chief, but as he said, he doesn’t care about the recognition – only saving lives,’ she added.
Meanwhile, Macron is on a steady diet of humiliation.
Trump’s motorcade security blocked his vehicles during his trip to the UN while traveling to the French Embassy, prompting Macron to leave his car and approach police security officers himself.
Cameras caught him demanding an explanation from American security detail who refused to let him pass. In response, Macron called up Trump on his phone to inform him of the embarrassing ordeal, but ultimately made the 30-minute walk to the embassy on foot after the motorcade passed.
And in May, video of his wife Brigitte shoving her husband’s face while standing near the presidential jet’s doorway went viral. Trump said at the time that infamous ‘slap’ was ‘not good,’ but claimed he had spoken to the couple and that they were ‘fine.’
But Macron’s relationship with the US president dates back to Trump’s first term, when the French leader first visited Washington, DC, in May 2017.
French President Emmanuel Macron calls President Donald Trump after he his motorcade was stopped in New York in late September
French President Emmanuel Macron speaks at a United Nations General Assembly in September
Macron lavished praise on Trump at the time, and the American president reciprocated, prompting headlines about their unusual ‘bromance.’ Observers even compared their relationship to that of America’s first president George Washington and the young French Marquis de Lafayette.
In return, Macron and his wife warmly welcomed President Trump and First Lady Melania to France for the country’s Bastille Day, featuring a military parade and dinner at the Eiffel Tower.
Macron’s earnest welcome put Trump at ease, and demonstrated to many world leaders that this was best way to land in his good graces.
Previously, Macron had embraced President Barack Obama so closely that European observers told the Daily Mail they weren’t sure Trump would trust him. But those who were looking for more resistance from Macron, were disappointed to see him enthusiastically welcome the Trumps to the global stage.
Macron’s second term is up in 2027, prompting insider speculation about how he will conclude his nearly decade-long friendship with Trump, with some wondering whether he will publicly nominate the US leader for the peace prize next year.
Until then, they’ll be watching how the relationship continues to unfold.
