French President Emmanuel Macron has challenged U.S. President Donald Trump in a very public way. He said that if Trump really wants the Nobel Peace Prize he has often talked about, he needs to stop the war in Gaza. This comes after a high-profile United Nations General Assembly summit focused on Palestinian statehood, where Trump and Macron clearly had very different views.
During his address at the U.N., Trump boasted that he had ended “seven un-endable wars” and that many people believed he should get a Nobel Peace Prize for those achievements. He has made winning the prize a frequent talking point in his speeches. Trump also said that for him, the real reward is seeing children grow up safely because millions of people are no longer being killed in wars.
Macron was direct in an interview with French broadcaster BFMTV. He said he sees a U.S. president who is active and wants peace, and who clearly wants the Nobel Peace Prize. But he added that the prize is only possible if Trump actually stops the war. Macron went further, calling on Trump to put pressure on the Israeli government to end the fighting and to secure the release of 48 hostages.
This disagreement highlights the very different approaches the two leaders have toward the Middle East. Just a day before his interview, Macron led a landmark U.N. summit on Palestinian statehood. He and other European leaders, including those from the U.K., Australia, and Canada, are pushing Western countries to formally recognize a Palestinian state. Macron himself officially recognized Palestine during the conference, earning a standing ovation from many world leaders.
Trump reacted strongly against this move. He called the recognition a reward for “horrible atrocities, including October 7,” referring to recent attacks. He argued that recognizing Palestine would encourage continued conflict. In his own speech, Trump said the message from those who want peace should be simple: release the hostages immediately.
Macron, however, disagrees. He said recognizing a Palestinian state can help isolate Hamas, strengthen the Palestinian Authority, and encourage needed reforms. In his view, this is a long-term approach to achieving peace. Trump’s approach, by contrast, focuses on immediate results but may not create lasting stability.
This clash between Trump and Macron shows just how divided world leaders are on the best way to achieve peace in the Middle East. Macron is taking a strategy aimed at building structures for long-term peace, while Trump is focused on short-term actions and immediate humanitarian outcomes.