Paris, January 22, 2026 – The Europe Today: On Wednesday, France dismissed as “fake news” U.S. President Donald Trump’s claim that he had pressured French President Emmanuel Macron into raising domestic drug prices by threatening broad tariffs on French exports to the United States.
The French presidency responded on the social media platform X, stating, “It is being claimed that President @Emmanuel Macron increased the price of medicines. He does not set their prices. They are regulated by the social security system and have, in fact, remained stable. Anyone who has set foot in a French pharmacy knows this.”
Accompanying the statement, the Elysee Palace posted a GIF of Trump mouthing the words “fake news” at a microphone, with the same phrase written below.
The incident comes amid growing tensions between the two NATO allies, as Trump’s threats regarding Greenland and potential tariffs on countries resisting his policies have put transatlantic relations under unprecedented strain.
Earlier on Wednesday, at the World Economic Forum 2026 in Davos, Switzerland, Trump claimed that he had threatened Macron with tariffs to push for higher drug prices in France. The French government strongly rejected the allegation, reaffirming that drug pricing is strictly regulated under the country’s social security system.
