Trump Leaks Macron’s Private Messages Amid Escalating Greenland Dispute and Tariff Threats

On January 20, 2026, U.S. President Donald Trump ignited a significant diplomatic firestorm by sharing screenshots of private text messages, purportedly from French President Emmanuel Macron, on the Truth Social platform. This unprecedented breach of diplomatic protocol occurs during a period of heightened transatlantic friction, fueled by Washington's aggressive pursuit of Greenland and retaliatory threats to impose massive tariffs on several European Union member states, including France.

Sources close to the French presidency have since confirmed the authenticity of the leaked correspondence. In the messages, Macron reportedly reaffirmed a shared stance on Syria and discussed potential cooperation regarding Iran, yet he expressed clear bewilderment regarding the American administration's fixation on Greenland, explicitly asking, "I don’t understand what you are doing with Greenland." This tension follows earlier threats from President Trump to levy 200-percent tariffs on French wine and champagne, a move triggered by Macron’s refusal to participate in the "Peace Council" for Gaza proposed by the U.S. leader.

In an effort to mitigate the growing crisis, President Macron has proposed an emergency G7 gathering in Paris for Thursday, January 22, 2026, immediately following the conclusion of the World Economic Forum. The proposal includes the possibility of inviting representatives from Ukraine, Denmark, Syria, and Russia to participate on the sidelines of the summit. This diplomatic maneuver comes after Trump announced on Saturday that a 10-percent tariff would be applied to goods from eight European nations—France, Denmark, Germany, the United Kingdom, Sweden, Norway, Finland, and the Netherlands—effective February 1, 2026.

The trade conflict is set to intensify further, with Trump threatening to increase those duties to 25% by June 1, 2026, unless a deal for the "full and total purchase of Greenland" is finalized. While the European Commission has urged all parties to show restraint, there are ongoing discussions regarding the activation of the EU’s Anti-Coercion Instrument (ACI) to counter Washington's pressure. The underlying cause of this geopolitical rift is rooted in America's strategic interests in the Arctic, where the U.S. seeks to bolster its position against the influence of Russia and China.

The atmosphere at the World Economic Forum in Davos, held from January 19 to 23, 2026, remained fraught with tension due to the Greenland dispute. In a direct response to American pressure, a coalition including France, Germany, the United Kingdom, Norway, Sweden, and the Netherlands deployed military forces to Greenland to support its sovereignty—an action Trump labeled a "very dangerous game." Despite the pressure, both Denmark and Greenland have maintained that the island is not for sale, with Greenlandic Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen emphasizing a continued commitment to diplomatic dialogue.

Analysts view Macron’s call for an informal G7 meeting in Paris on January 22 as a strategic attempt to utilize broader diplomatic channels, contrasting it with the official G7 summit scheduled for June 2026 in Evian-les-Bains, which notably excludes Russia. Within the United States, the administration's tactics have faced internal criticism; Republican Congressman Don Bacon described the pressure on Denmark as "humiliating." Furthermore, Fitch Ratings has warned that these tariff threats significantly elevate geopolitical risks in Europe, potentially undermining the deterrence of Russian aggression and leading to increased costs for American consumers.