It’s all about who would speak what language in the United States these days, but all in good humour.
What started with US President Donald Trump’s jibe at European countries has now metamorphosed into light-hearted banter between traditional allies. And there’s a new party to the conversation.
During his recent state dinner at the Oval Office, King Charles III cracked a joke or two about America and Britain’s shared history.
The British Monarch, addressing President Donald Trump, reminded him that he, not long ago, said, “If it were not for the United States, European countries would be speaking German.”
“Dare I say that, if it wasn’t for us, you’d be speaking French,” Charles added, eliciting laughter in the room.
And now hours later, the short speech has received a response from French President Emmanuel Macron. Reposting an excerpt from Charles’ speech, Macron said: “That would be chic!”
That would be chic! pic.twitter.com/gMnLF224jU
â Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) April 29, 2026
In January 2026, at the World Economic Forum, Trump said that Europeans would be speaking German and Japanese, had the US decided not to intervene in World War II.
“After the war, which we won, we won it big, without us, right now, you’d all be speaking German and little Japanese perhaps,” Trump said in Davos, Switzerland.
The American President’s jab at Europe came close on the heels of his intense interest in acquiring Greenland.
While he might have put Greenland on the back burner for now in light of America and Israel’s unilateral declaration of war on Iran, Trump remains at odds with Europe.
He’s often targeted NATO nations over their non-participation in the Middle East, where Washington and Tel Aviv often found themselves fighting a lone battle against Tehran.
At one point, Trump even threatened to pull out of NATO. This came after the United Kingdom, France and multiple other countries said the war in the Middle East wasn’t theirs to fight, despite Trump’s repeated exhortations to help free the Strait of Hormuz from Iran.
Officials in Washington and Tehran are currently working on a long-term solution to end the war. The second round of direct talks is yet to take place, despite Islamabad pulling out all stops to get the warring parties to the table.