Trump turns on the charm with Emmanuel and Brigitte Macron after giving French president the full alpha handshake before lavish Versailles dinner

By NIKKI SCHWAB, CHIEF CAMPAIGN CORRESPONDENT Published: 22:21, 17 June 2026 | Updated: 22:28, 17 June 2026 President Donald Trump turned on the charm Wednesday night as he arrived at the Palace of Versailles for a lavish dinner hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte.  After an extended handshake and a kiss on each of Brigitte's cheeks, Trump commended the first couple of France.  'This is so beautiful. We thank the President, and Brigitte is an amazing woman,' Trump gushed.  It was long-rumored that Trump would visit Versailles on his trip to France for the G7, which he's been attending since Monday at Évian-les-Bains. But the President's schedule didn't officially change until Tuesday, making a pitstop at the palace before flying back to the United States.  The President said he accepted the invitation from Macron, whom he's criticized and even mocked, trying his best at a French accent, because 'I'm a fan of beautiful places.'  President Donald Trump (right) waves as he arrives at the Palace of Versailles to have dinner with French President Emmanuel Macron (center) and his wife Brigitte Macron (left)  President Donald Trump (left) receives a tour of the Palace of Versailles from French President Emmanuel Macron Wednesday night before Trump heads back to Washington French President Emmanuel Macron (left) and President Donald Trump shared an elongated handshake as Trump arrived at Versailles Wednesday night  'Versailles is not a gold leaf. Versailles is a real deal,' Trump said.  Macron explained away the dinner to critics by saying it was to celebrate America's 250th birthday, as France played a pivotal role in the US's independence.  Versailles was chosen because it was 'a historic symbol of Franco-American friendship,' an Élysée official told the Guardian.   The President received a personalized tour of some of the rooms of Versailles before dining with the Macrons in the Lower Gallery.  In true European style, the dinner didn't kick off until 10:53 PM local time.  No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.