Emmanuel Macron speaks to business leaders in Davos, Switzerland, on January 20, 2026. LUDOVIC MARIN/AFP
An unusual sense of unanimity has emerged in France, a fleeting unity around Emmanuel Macron, since Tuesday, January 20. In the small Swiss town of Davos, the French president, sporting aviator sunglasses, responded to mounting threats from United States President Donald Trump, who was determined to take control of Greenland. Advocating for "respect" rather than acting like "bullies," Macron lamented that the US was trying "to weaken and subordinate Europe," and cited specific retaliatory measures. "Europe has very strong tools now, and we have to use them when we are not respected," the president added, referring to the European Union's anti-coercion instrument.
Macron's European allies echoed this change in tone, such as Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever, who said that Trump was "really approaching a breaking point" with the Europeans.
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