President Donald Trump took a brief question from a French reporter on Monday, and immediately proceeded to jab at French President Emmanuel Macron as he answered.
The reporter asked Trump whether or not he’d been in contact with Macron about plans to force the Iranian regime back and reopen the Strait of Hormuz — in order to allow oil tankers and other ships to pass — and Trump said that Macron had rated an “eight” on a scale from zero to ten.
WATCH:
Reporter: Have you been speaking with President Macron about the coalition to reopen the Strait of Hormuz?@POTUS: “Yeah, I have spoken to him. He’s been, on a scale of 0-10, I’d say he’s been an 8. Not perfect — but it’s France.” pic.twitter.com/VqCGUHUFDa
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) March 16, 2026
“Have you been speaking with President Macron about the coalition to reopen the Strait of Hormuz?” the reporter asked.
“Yeah, I have spoken to him. He’s been, on a scale of 0-10, I’d say he’s been an 8. Not perfect — but it’s France,” Trump said with a laugh. “We don’t expect perfect.”
The reporter, undeterred, forged ahead: “Are you confident that France will help with the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz?”
Trump nodded. “Yeah, I mean, sure. He’s going to — I think he’s going to help, I’ll let you know. I spoke to him yesterday.”
“I don’t do a hard sell on them, because my attitude is we don’t need anybody,” the president continued. “We’re the strongest nation in the world. We have the strongest military by far in the world; we don’t need them!”
Trump went on to say that, in some cases, he asked foreign leaders for their assistance not because he thought he needed the help, but because he wanted to see how they might react to the question: “I’ve been saying for years that if we ever did need them, they won’t be there. Not all of them, but they won’t be there.”
The president went on to say that he’d been shocked when the United Kingdom had seemed reluctant to send ships.
“You don’t want to do it, we’ve been with you, you’re our oldest ally,” Trump aimed his response at the United Kingdom. “And we spend a lot of money on NATO and all of these things to protect you.”
