The “bromance” is officially buried. On January 20, 2026, President Trump stunned the diplomatic world by posting a screenshot of a private text from French President Emmanuel Macron. In the message, Macron addressed Trump as “my friend” and attempted to bridge the gap on Syria and Iran, but bluntly stated: “I do not understand what you are doing on Greenland.” The leak follows a vicious exchange where Trump mocked Macron’s refusal to join the newly formed “Board of Peace”—a Trump-led body intended to replace the UN’s role in global conflict resolution. After Macron declined, citing concerns over UN sovereignty, Trump fired back to reporters: “Nobody wants him because he’s gonna be out of office very soon… I’ll put a 200% tariff on his wines and champagnes and he’ll join.” #### The Hidden Agenda Trump isn’t just leaking texts for spite; he is using “Truth Social Diplomacy” to bypass official channels and pressure European leaders ahead of the Davos World Economic Forum. By showing Macron’s willingness to “build great things” on Iran and Syria, Trump is exposing France’s private alignment with the U.S. while publicly embarrassing Macron for his confusion over Greenland. This effectively weakens Macron’s position as Europe’s “resistance leader” just as the EU prepares for an emergency summit on Greenland tariffs.
The Anatomy of a Failure
The “Board of Peace” is becoming the ultimate wedge issue. To join, countries are reportedly being asked to pay $1 billion for permanent membership—a move Macron has called “neocolonial aggressiveness.” The failure here is the collapse of the NATO-EU alliance’s traditional communication. When private dinner invitations and G7 proposals are posted to a social media feed as “gotcha” content, the ability to conduct sensitive diplomacy disappears. The Élysée Palace has confirmed the message is “entirely real,” but noted that the leak only proves Macron says the same thing in private that he says in public: Greenland is not for sale.
The Brutal Reality
The Brutal Reality is that the French wine industry—the largest export market for the U.S. worth €3.8 billion—is now a hostage in a real estate deal. Trump has made it clear: support the Greenland acquisition or watch the French luxury market collapse under a 200% tax. Macron’s attempt to play the “mediator” by inviting Russia and Ukraine to a side-summit in Paris is being dismissed by Trump as the desperate gasps of a “lame duck” president. For the French, the “Board of Peace” looks like a Board of Submission.
