ToplineFrench President Emmanuel Macron hit back at President Donald Trump on Thursday for making a quip about his relationship with his wife while lamenting that France won’t help the U.S. in its war with Iran, calling Trump’s comments “neither elegant nor up to standard.” French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte Macron visit the War Memorial of Korea on April 02, 2026 in Seoul, South Korea. (Photo by Chung Sung-Jun/Getty Images)Getty ImagesKey FactsTrump, while criticizing France on Wednesday for refusing to aid the U.S. in its war with Iran, said Macron’s “wife treats him extremely badly,” and he is still “recovering from the right to the jaw,” referring to a video that appeared to show Macron’s wife, Brigitte, pushing him in the face when their plane door opened after landing in Vietnam last year.Macron said he is “not going to respond” to Trump’s remarks, adding, “they don’t merit a response.”Trump made the comments about Macron and his marriage at a White House lunch Wednesday while complaining that NATO allies won’t help him in the war against Iran.Mocking Macron’s French accent, Trump said Macron told him, “No, no, no, we cannot do that, Donald. We can do that after the war is won,” when Trump called to ask him for help.Trump has repeatedly threatened to withdraw from NATO over its refusal to help the U.S. reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a key oil passage off Iran’s coast that Tehran has effectively closed since the conflict began, contributing to a spike in global oil prices. Trump described NATO as a “paper tiger” and said withdrawing from the alliance was “beyond reconsideration.”Crucial Quote“NATO treated us very badly, and you have to remember, because they’ll be treating us badly again if we ever need them,” Trump said at the Wednesday breakfast. “Hopefully we’re never going to need them, I don’t think we will need them, I don’t think they can do very much.”TangentTrump did not mention NATO in a prime-time address he gave Wednesday defending the military campaign in Iran and vowing to escalate the bombing campaign until a deal to end the conflict is reached. Key BackgroundTrump has both attacked NATO allies for refusing to aid the U.S. in reopening the Strait of Hormuz and claimed he doesn’t need their help. He has also given conflicting statements about U.S. motives for reopening the strait, saying it’s both a condition for ending the war with Iran, while also suggesting it’s not the U.S.’s responsibility to secure the passage. “What happens to the strait, we’re not going to have anything to do with it,” Trump said Tuesday. On Wednesday, he claimed Iran asked for a ceasefire, but said the U.S. wouldn’t agree to it until the strait is opened. Iran denied Trump’s claims he asked for a ceasefire as “false and baseless.”Further ReadingTrump Flip-Flops On Iran’s Nuclear Prospects Again (Forbes)These 5 Small Countries–And Canada–Are The Only NATO Members Backing Trump's War On Iran (Forbes)Trump Offers Few New Details On Iran War In Prime Time Speech—Dow Futures Drop By 500 Points (Forbes)