Published on 6/17/2026
|
Last update: 23:24 (Mecca time)
On Wednesday evening, the Palace of Versailles, one of France’s most luxurious palaces, will host a luxurious dinner at which US President Donald Trump will be the guest of honor of his French counterpart, Emmanuel Macron, in a move that has sparked widespread criticism within French political circles, especially among the left, which accused Macron of going too far in his attempts to court Trump.
According to the British newspaper The Guardian, the dinner at the 2,300-room palace, which was the residence of King Louis
Speaking about the palace, Trump said, “Versailles is not just gold leaves, Versailles is the real thing,” adding, “I am a lover of beautiful places.”
Macron’s office explained that the dinner was part of the celebration of the 250th anniversary of the independence of the United States, noting the role that France played in supporting the American Revolution. The newspaper quoted an official at the Elysee Palace as saying that Versailles was chosen as a “historical symbol of French-American friendship.”
However, the French President, who is facing pressure to show that he is not flattering his American counterpart, stressed that this occasion is not a lavish celebratory dinner, but rather a moment to highlight France’s role in the independence of the United States. Macron added, “I am a pragmatist, and results are achieved through firm and respectful dialogue.”
Trump (right) mocked Macron and his wife earlier this year during a lunch in Washington (Shutterstock)Trump’s containment bet
The choice of Versailles has dimensions that go beyond a celebratory nature, as the dinner is seen, in the eyes of French politicians, as an attempt to tempt Trump to stay until the end of the G7 summit in Evian-les-Bains, and not leave early as he did last year in Canada.
As the final day of the summit began, Trump told the G7 leaders, including Macron, “I am the president.”
Before dinner, Trump is scheduled to be taken on a tour of a temporary exhibition in the palace that deals with the history of French-American relations. He will also visit the Hall of Mirrors, the famous gallery dating back to the 17th century, which was built during the reign of Louis XIV to highlight the power and prestige of the French monarchy.
This ceremony comes in light of relations that were not free of tension between Trump and Macron. The US President made several negative comments about his French counterpart last year, saying that Macron is “a nice guy, but he doesn’t do much justice.”
Before the start of the G7 summit, Trump threatened to impose 100% customs duties on French wine, unless Paris backed down from the digital services tax imposed on technology companies, to which Macron responded by confirming that he would remain committed to his position.
Earlier this year, Trump mocked Macron and his wife during a private lunch in Washington, D.C., saying that Brigitte Macron was “treating him very badly,” in an apparent reference to a video that went viral in May 2025 that appeared to show her slapping her husband during an official visit to Vietnam. Macron responded at the time that these comments were “not elegant and inappropriate.”
Accusations of going too far
Trump’s invitation to Versailles sparked sharp criticism from the French left, as Communist Party leader Fabien Roussel said that Macron was acting with “extreme naivety and flattery” by inviting Trump to the palace, despite what he described as the US President’s hostility towards him and France. He added, “He is rolling out the red carpet for him while we are being blackmailed.”
The head of the parliamentary bloc of the leftist France Intrepid Party, Mathilde Bannot, said that “flattery does not work,” considering that Trump “insulted France and Europe several times.” As for Eric Cockerill, a representative from the same party, he said that there was an excessive amount of subservience to the United States, which he described as becoming more “aggressive and imperialistic.”
Criticism was not limited to the left, as Nathalie Loiseau, a center-right member of the European Parliament, who served as Minister of European Affairs in Macron’s first term, said that the “flattery” approach towards Trump does not necessarily work, adding: “He is not an easy person, that is true. But I am not sure that the more you bow to him, the more respect he will have for you (in a letter to Macron).”
On the other hand, Alice Ruffaut, Minister Delegate for Defense Affairs, defended Trump’s reception, considering that this moment of “courtesy” in Versailles does not prevent France from speaking with Washington “frankly and clearly.”
Versailles is Macron’s platform
This controversy comes to re-shed light on the status that Macron granted to the Palace of Versailles during his two terms in office, after he transformed it from a historical landmark into a diplomatic and political platform. A few days after his election in 2017, he received Russian President Vladimir Putin.
In July of the same year, Macron chose the palace to announce the broad outlines of his first term before a joint session of the two chambers of the French Parliament, the National Assembly and the Senate. In January 2018, about 140 heads of international companies gathered at the palace for the first edition of the “Choose France” conference, aimed at attracting investments, which Versailles has now hosted annually.
Macron used the ancient palace more than his predecessors. Former President Nicolas Sarkozy held a joint session of the two chambers of Parliament there in 2009, while former President François Hollande delivered a speech to a similar meeting following the Paris terrorist attacks in November 2015.
At the diplomatic level, Versailles constitutes an instrument of French “soft power,” as it is presented as a facade for France’s image and a site that combines the symbolism of royal and republican power.
Versailles again… How does Macron use the most famous palace in his diplomatic battles?
By inviting Trump to the palace, Macron seems to be betting again on Versailles as a theater for French diplomacy, but this time the bet comes amid internal criticism that considers the luxury of the place not enough to dispel tensions with an American president who has often raised his rhetoric against France and Europe.
About the palace
The Palace of Versailles, located about 16 kilometers southwest of the capital, Paris, is one of the most prominent historical monuments in France, having served as a former royal residence and center of government.
In its beginnings, the palace was a hunting lodge built during the reign of Louis 13, then Louis 14 transformed it, between 1661 and 1710, into a luxurious complex and a majestic theater for absolute rule in Europe.
Following the French Revolution, the palace was almost destroyed, but King Louis Philippe made extensive modifications to it, including the establishment of the French History Museum inside it.
Throughout its history, the Palace of Versailles has played several political and historical roles, as it hosted the French National Assembly and witnessed the signing of the peace treaty between the Allies and Germany after World War I. In 1979, UNESCO listed the palace and its gardens as a World Heritage Site.
