What Trump whispered in Brigitte Macron's ear after fiercely defending her against attacks she's a 'man'

By JON MICHAEL RAASCH, WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT Published: 22:15, 15 June 2026 | Updated: 22:15, 15 June 2026 A lip reader has revealed what President Donald Trump told the First Lady of France at the Group of Seven summit on Monday as he gave her a lengthy 'tug of war' handshake. French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte Macron welcomed Trump onto a G7-adorned stage Tuesday evening for a photo-op before a working dinner.  But it was not the French President who soaked up the limelight - it was his wife.  She and Trump had a warm embrace where the President adorned her with a double-cheek kiss, a typical greeting in many European countries.  But the kisses and the brief embrace did not catch the critics' eyes; the roughly 14-second handshake did.  'I'm ready for tonight,' Trump told President Macron, according to lip reader Nicola Hickling. After grabbing French President Emmanuel Macron's hand, Donald Trump gave it a firm tug and a squeeze before saying, rather matter-of-factly, 'pleasure.'  'Hello, sweetheart,' Trump tells Brigitte, according to Hickling. 'Happy birthday,' the First Lady of France fired back. Donald Trump shook French First Lady Brigitte Macron's hand for about 14 seconds as French President Emmanuel Macron looked on, overshadowed by the US President Emmanuel and Brigitte Macron stand together as they greet world leaders President Macron, standing between his wife and Trump, appeared eager for the US President's attention as the Republican fixated on Brigitte.  'Macron clapped Trump on the arm in a gesture of friendship and looked keen to engage in something a little more like a bonding ritual, but Trump slid straight past him to engage with Brigitte with a much warmer show of enthusiasm and affection, throwing his arms out with his mouth open to lean in and kiss her on both cheeks,' body language expert Judi James told the Daily Mail.  'Macron looked desperate to join in here, clapping Trump on the back and smiling as he squeezed himself in between as they stood in a close huddle,' said James.  Liberal journalist Aaron Rupar likened the Trump-Brigitte shake to a 'tug of war.'  After letting go of her hand for a picture, Trump then retook her hand once again and helped her off the G7 platform while sharing words with her as President Macron looked on smiling.  'As Macron went to usher Trump towards the tent, Trump held onto Brigitte's hand, even walking away holding hands with her while Macron danced attendance behind them,' James pointed out. Trump has spoken repeatedly of the French couple, remarking on how Brigitte once slapped President Macron in front of TV cameras and defending her gender after some of his MAGA supporters suggested conspiracies that she is a man.  'I called up France, Macron, whose wife treats him extremely badly, (he is) still recovering from the right to the jaw,' Trump remarked in April about a viral clip from last year showing the French President taking a slap to the face.  Trump joked about how Brigitte Macron slapped her husband last year, saying in April the French President is 'still recovering from the right to the jaw'  The French President later said Trump's words 'weren't elegant, and they weren't up to par.'  That same month Trump defended Brigitte Macron from MAGA supporters who peddled conspiracies about the French First Lady's gender.   ''Crazy' Candace Owens, who accuses the Highly Respected First Lady of France of being a man, when she is not, and will hopefully win lots of money in the ongoing lawsuit,' Trump wrote in April.  'Actually, to me, the First Lady of France is a far more beautiful woman than Candace, in fact, it's not even close!'  Last year, the French couple submitted a defamation lawsuit against Owens over her baseless claims that Brigitte may be a man.  The comments below have not been moderated. The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline. 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.