Donald Trump has taken a swipe at France’s record in WW2, accusing Emmanuel Macron’s country of taking undue credit for the Allied victory — despite its rapid surrender to Nazi Germany in 1940. Speaking to US service members during a visit to Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, the US President claimed Washington’s role in defeating Adolf Hitler had been downplayed in favour of other nations’ narratives.
He said: “We love France, right? But I think we did a little more to win the war than France did. Do we agree?” He went on: “You know, I don’t want to be a wise guy, but when Hitler made his speech at the Eiffel Tower, I would say that wasn’t exactly ideal.” Mr Trump claimed he had previously raised the issue directly with the French President.
“I called up the president – Macron, good guy by the way – [he said] ‘Donald, we are celebrating our victory over the Germans’. Oh, that’s wonderful.
“Now, we don’t take credit for what we do, and I said: ‘What the hell? Every country I’ve spoken to in the last week is celebrating the war but us. Isn’t that terrible?’”
The comments appeared to refer to Germany’s rapid conquest of France in the spring of 1940, which culminated in the country’s formal surrender on June 22, following the German invasion through the Ardennes.
That defeat led to the establishment of the Vichy regime under Marshal Philippe Petain — a collaborationist government that co-operated with Nazi Germany and even assisted in the deportation of Jews to concentration camps.
In one notorious episode, Hitler personally travelled to Paris and posed for photos in front of the Eiffel Tower. He later delivered a speech celebrating the swift fall of France and hailing the “greatest military victory of my life”.
While the Free French Forces led by General Charles de Gaulle continued the fight alongside the Allies, France remained divided and partially occupied until liberation in 1944.
American, British and Canadian troops spearheaded the D-Day landings in Normandy, which ultimately helped bring about the defeat of Nazi Germany.
Mr Trump’s remarks are nevertheless likely to raise eyebrows in Paris, particularly given his overt suggestion that France has overstated its wartime contribution.
However, the French government has often marked 1945 as a moment of victory and national pride, with tributes to both the Resistance and Free French forces.
During the same speech in Qatar, Mr Trump also took aim at Joe Biden’s handling of the 2021 withdrawal from Afghanistan and pledged “substantial” pay rises for US troops.
He praised American forces as “the greatest fighting force in the history of the world”, and promised to rebuild the military to be “bigger, better, stronger and more powerful than ever”.
His comments come after signing a series of defence agreements with Qatar, including a proposed drone sale and major Boeing aircraft purchases.
Mr Trump said relations with the Gulf state had reached “another level” – a dramatic reversal from 2017, when he accused Doha of sponsoring terrorism.
The 78-year-old stayed on stage after his speech, dancing to YMCA by the Village People, something he has done on numerous occasions in the past.