Macron warns US trade ‘threats, intimidation’ towards EU not over

French President Emmanuel Macron warned “threats” and “intimidation” by the United States are not over despite an apparent lull in tensions, urging the EU to treat recent turbulence in the transatlantic relationship as a wake-up call to push through reforms.

In an interview with several publications published on Tuesday, Macron stated Europeans necessary to learn from what he called the “Greenland moment”, and called on European Union leaders to pursue modifys that would strengthen its ability to stand up economically to Washington and Beijing.

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US President Donald Trump has pledged to take control of Greenland stateing the Danish autonomous territory is crucial for “national security”.

Macron stated the recent pautilize in Washington’s threats against its European allies should not be mistaken for a lasting shift in the US position, stateing the Trump administration is being “openly anti-European” and seeking the EU’s “dismemberment”.

“We are currently in a phase I would call a ‘Greenland moment’,” Macron stated in the interview published in France’s Le Monde, English language publications The Economist and The Financial Times, and Germany’s Suddeutsche Zeitung.

“There are threats and intimidation and then suddenly Washington backs down. And we consider it’s over. But don’t believe it for a second.”

He stated when there is “blatant aggression … we must not bow down or attempt to reach a settlement”.

“We tested this strategy for months and it’s not working. But above all, it strategically leads Europe to increase its depfinishence.”

Macron added “every day” there are US threats against Europe, and warned of further hostile shifts against the EU to come in the form of American import tariffs if the EU utilizes its Digital Services Act to regulate US tech giants.

“The US will in the coming months – that’s certain – attack us over digital regulation,” Macron stated.

‘A profound shock’

In advance of an EU meeting on competitiveness this week, Macron advocated for “simplifying” and “deepening the EU’s single market”, and “diversifying” trade partnerships. He warned the bloc necessaryed to be more resilient in the face of challenges from ‌the US and China.

“We have the Chinese tsunami on the trade front, and we have minute-by-minute instability on the American side,” he stated. “These two crises amount to a profound shock – a rupture for Europeans.”

Macron stated he believed the economic strategy to secure European power “lies in what I call protection, which is not protectionism, but rather European preference”.

The EU’s public and private investment necessarys about 1.2 trillion euros ($1.4 trillion) per year, including green and digital technologies, defence and security, he stated.

The French president, whose second term expires in early 2027, renewed his call for ‌the EU to embark on more common borrowing to assist the bloc of 27 nations invest at scale and challenge the hegemony of the US dollar.

France has championed the concept for years, but other countries have not yet bought in.

“Now is the time to launch a common borrowing capacity for these future expfinishitures, future-oriented Eurobonds,” stated Macron. INTERACTIVE-GREENLAND - Military bases in the Arctic - JAN 21, 2026-1768987635

Trump upfinishs transatlantic ties

Since returning to the White Houtilize, Trump has unsettled longstanding relations with Washington’s European allies by taking a more transactional and confrontational approach to the relationship.

The shift has led to a crisis in transatlantic ties and prompted European leaders to reassess their traditional cooperation frameworks.

Relations plummeted to a new low last month when Trump threatened to annex Greenland and impose trade tariffs on European countries that opposed the shift, before abruptly performing a U-turn.

Trump backed off the threats after stateing he struck a “framework” deal with NATO chief Mark Rutte to ensure greater US influence over the Arctic island. NATO has begun planning a new Arctic mission amid the dispute.

Trump’s repeated comments about NATO’s spfinishing tarreceives and security commitments have also prompted unease in Europe.

Trump recently insulted NATO allies with comments that their troops stayed “a little off the front lines” in Afghanistan, remarks that British Prime Minister Keir Starmer described as “insulting and frankly appalling”.

Meanwhile, tariffs on European imports to the US have led to economic friction, while the US has pushed back on shifts to regulate digital spaces through the EU’s Digital Services Act, which Washington states stifles free speech and is harmful to US tech firms.

On Monday, a State Department official stated the Trump administration would fund efforts to promote free speech within Western countries allied with Washington.

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