Macron takes aim at ‘bully’ Trump as EU leaders ramp up response to president’s threats
Emmanuel Macron called out Donald Trump’s “tyranny” as European leaders met to prepare for a showdown with the US president over Greenland claims.
As Donald Trump redoubled his demands for Denmark’s sovereign territory and intensified the threat of tariffs against allies opposed to the move with the shocking revelation of private texts he received from Mr Macron and other world leaders, the French president said the EU must not bow to the “law of the strongest” and resist what he called a “neocolonial approach”.
Just hours before Mr Trump was expected to arrive at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos to confront international leaders, Mr Macron warned: “We prefer respect to tyrants, science to conspiracies, and the rule of law to brutality.”
The unprecedented deterioration in relations between the US and its Western European allies came as Mr Trump launched a scathing attack on Britain’s plans to hand over the Chagos Islands to Mauritius as “gross stupidity”, despite publicly welcoming the deal last year.
Former Danish prime minister and former NATO secretary general Anders Rasmussen has warned that the NATO alliance, which has been the bedrock of Western security since the end of the Second World War, is now on the verge of collapse because of Mr Trump’s actions.
He told Times Radio: “This is extremely serious. In fact, if this threat [taking over Greenland] If it comes to fruition, this will be the end of NATO. It doesn’t make sense to have a collective defense organization where the main ally attacks another ally with the aim of seizing territory. This would be the end of NATO.”
Sir Keir Starmer’s hopes that the UK could act as a bridge between the US and Europe appear to have evaporated after Mr Trump lashed out at the prime minister’s “stupid” agreement to cede the Chagos Islands to Mauritius.
Darren Jones, the Prime Minister’s closest lieutenant and chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, insisted Sir Keir’s approach to Mr Trump had yielded results but conceded: “It is not normal for geopolitical discussions to be handled in this way.”
The crisis proved to be the greatest strain on the special relationship between Britain and the US since Harold Wilson refused to send British troops to Vietnam in the 1960s.
But Sir Keir risked further inflaming Mr Trump’s anger by agreeing to the construction of a new Chinese super embassy at the Royal Mint Court near the Tower of London, despite warnings from MI5 that security risks could not be ignored.
As anger grows in Switzerland ahead of President Trump’s descent into the Alps resort, EU leaders have made clear they will implement the harshest possible economic response to the US president’s tariff threat.
Mr Macron called on EU leaders to use the bloc’s “big bazooka” of economic countermeasures.
“The anti-coercion mechanism is a powerful tool and we should not hesitate to use it in today’s challenging environment,” he said.
Meanwhile, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen used her WEF speech to warn Mr Trump that the EU’s response would be “frightening, united and proportionate”.
“When friends reach an agreement, we expect them to honor the agreement,” he said.
But members of the Trump administration already in Davos showed no regrets about the disintegration of international rules and norms.
In a standoffish moment during the panel discussion with British Chancellor Rachel Reeves, Mr Trump’s Trade Secretary Howard Lutnick said he had attended the event to highlight that “globalisation has failed the West”.
“When America shines, the world shines,” he said, but added that a world without the United States “gets dark pretty quickly.”
Mr. Lutnick then tried to reassure Ms. Reeves that the United States still loved its allies in the wake of the Greenland threat, saying: “We love you, we love you,” to which Ms. Reeves responded: “Thank you very much, the feeling is mutual.”
The strange speech came after the Chancellor called on the US to “consider how your allies can help you achieve your goals and help the entire Western world thrive”.
But Democratic California governor Gavin Newsom called on European leaders to “hold the bull” and “stand up to Trump.”
Meanwhile, French foreign minister Jean-Noel Barrot told parliament that France supports suspending the trade deal between the EU and the US, given Washington’s ongoing “threat” of tariffs.
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“The threat of customs duty [is] “It is being used as blackmail to obtain unfair privileges,” Barrot said, adding that the European Commission had “very powerful tools” to respond to Mr. Trump’s threats.
Kaja Kallas, the European Union’s foreign policy chief, said the bloc will maintain its place in Greenland despite increasing pressure from the United States. He emphasized that the tariffs Mr. Trump has threatened on goods coming from Europe would harm the prosperity of both the EU and the United States.
Speaking in the European Parliament, Ms. Kallas stated that the geostrategic importance of Greenland has increased recently and emphasized that the NATO alliance is very suitable for the security of the island.
Meanwhile, top Republicans are trying to mend relations with their allies. Mike Johnson, the speaker of the US House of Representatives and an ally of Mr Trump, who visited London, said his duty was to “help calm the waters”.
Speaking to MPs and colleagues at Westminster on Tuesday, he said he agreed with Sir Keir’s approach to finding a solution.
“As friends we have always managed to resolve our differences calmly. We will continue to do so. I can assure you this morning that this remains the case,” Mr Johnson said.
“I spoke at length with President Trump yesterday and told him that my mission here is that even though we had planned this in the fall, I really feel that we don’t know how things are going to play out in the last few days.
“But I told the president that I feel my duty here today is to encourage our friends and help calm the waters.”
