French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday quoted US President that of Donald Trump threatens to make Canada the “51st state” as an example of American foreign policy which sacrifices its allies for “the law of the strongest”.
Macron’s direct remarks were accompanied by similar comments from German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier in a separate speech that showed growing concern among European leaders as Trump seeks to impose American domination over the Western Hemisphere, including actions in Venezuela and threats of a possible takeover of Greenland by the United States.
In a speech to French ambassadors at the Élysée presidential palace on Thursday, Macron said: “It’s the greatest disorder, the law of the strongest, and ordinary people are wondering if Greenland will be invaded, if Canada will be under threat of becoming the 51st state (of the United States) or if Taiwan will be further encircled.” »
The United States is “gradually turning away from some of its allies and freeing itself from international rules,” Macron said.
The comments appear to be the first time Macron has directly addressed Trump’s threats to Canada’s sovereignty, which the U.S. president has not raised in several weeks after making the assertions repeatedly last year.
However, former Canadian Ambassador to the United Nations Bob Rae and other experts warned that Trump’s recent behavior suggests Canada is ‘on the menu’ for its projects in the hemisphere when compared to the rhetoric of the “51st State”.
Macron’s speech referenced recent U.S. actions, including the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro last weekend, and Trump’s overall national security strategy that views America as a hemispheric superpower.
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The remarks also come amid growing concern over Trump’s plans for Greenland. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio is scheduled to meet with Danish officials next week.
Macron joined Prime Minister Mark Carney and other European leaders on Tuesday in defending Greenland’s sovereignty following Trump’s comments about how the United States “needs” the self-governing Danish territory, part of the NATO military alliance.
The prime minister’s office said Thursday that Carney spoke with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz about “their shared support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Denmark, including Greenland, which must be respected in accordance with international law.”
“Prime Minister Carney reaffirmed that the future of Greenland belongs to Greenland and Denmark,” a report of the conversation said. The two leaders also discussed Ukraine and efforts to strengthen Arctic and Euro-Atlantic security.
The world must not become a “den of thieves”, warns the German president
Separately, Steinmeier told a symposium in Germany on Wednesday that Trump’s actions and comments show that global democracy is under attack like never before.
Describing Russia’s annexation of Crimea and full-scale invasion of Ukraine as a watershed, Steinmeier said the United States’ behavior represented a second historic break.
“Then there is the breakdown of the values of our most important partner, the United States, which helped build this world order,” he said.
“It is about preventing the world from turning into a den of thieves, where the most unscrupulous take what they want, where entire regions or countries are treated as the property of a few great powers,” he said.
Although the German president’s role is largely ceremonial, his words carry a certain weight and he has more freedom to express his opinions than politicians.
Macron and Steinmeier’s remarks are an escalation from European leaders’ immediate response to Maduro’s capture, which called on all parties to respect international law without directly criticizing the United States.
Experts previously told Global News that world leaders were likely hoping not to anger an “unstable White House” amid ongoing trade and security negotiations.
On Thursday, a poll by public broadcaster ARD indicated that 76% of Germans surveyed now believed that the United States was not a partner Germany could count on, an increase of three percentage points since June 2025.
Only 15 percent say Germany can now trust the United States, the lowest level recorded in the regular attitude survey.
On the other hand, around three quarters of them believe they can count on France and Great Britain.
The survey finds that 69 percent of Germans are concerned about security in Europe, roughly the same number who think NATO partners cannot count on protection from the United States, the alliance’s most powerful member.
—with files from Associated Press and Reuters
© 2026 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
