US donald trump emmanuel macron

Emmanuel Macron fact-checked Donald Trump to his face, and the internet cheered – 18 delighted reactions

Oonagh Keating. Updated February 25th, 2025

Emmanuel Macron has always had the measure of Donald Trump. Comedically long and strong handshake sessions have been a common and entertaining feature of their public meetings, and the French President is clearly not intimidated by the American’s status as ‘Leader of the Free World’, or by his more imposing physical presence.

That lack of deference came to the fore on Monday during an audience and press conference at the White House, when Donald Trump shared what we will generously call his misconception about the nature of European financial support for Ukraine.

Watch what happened.

“Europe is loaning the money to Ukraine. They’re getting their money back,”

“No, in fact, to be frank, we paid. We paid 60% of the total effort.”

President Macron had another point to make. He weighed in on who should – and shouldn’t – be reimbursing out-of-pocket countries after the Russia-Ukraine war ends.

With so much of what Trump says being factually incorrect, due to a heady mix of lack of understanding and blatant lying, it was a refreshing change to see him fact-checked in real time.

Here are some responses that show just how much people enjoyed seeing the President humbled.

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