French President Emmanuel Macron drew attention at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland, when he took the stage wearing distinctive aviator sunglasses during his appearance on Tuesday.
The French president has been battling an eye condition that he has described as “completely harmless”.
Macron wore the sunglasses during his Davos speech to protect his eyes after suffering a burst blood vessel, the Elysee Palace said.
Macron had addressed the issue several days earlier after he was seen wearing sunglasses during an outdoor troop inspection at a military base in Istres, in southern France.
Speaking at the time, he opened his New Year’s address to France’s armed forces by referring directly to his appearance. “Please pardon the unsightly appearance of my eye. It is, of course, something completely harmless,” he said.
He went on to add with humour: “Simply see an unintentional reference to the ‘Eye of the Tiger’ … For those who catch the reference, it is a sign of determination,” an apparent nod to the hit song by American rock band Survivor from the 1982 film Rocky III, starring Sylvester Stallone, according to The Independent.
At Davos, Macron struck a firmer tone on global politics and trade. “We do prefer respect to bullies,” he said, adding: “And we do prefer rule of law to brutality.”
He described the United States’ “endless accumulation” of new tariffs as “fundamentally unacceptable”, particularly when used “as leverage against territorial sovereignty”.
Macron said the European Union should not bend to “the law of the strongest”, calling it “crazy” that the bloc was being forced to consider using its “anti-coercion instrument” against the United States.
The speech came after Donald Trump threatened steep tariffs on French wine and champagne and published private messages exchanged with Macron, an unusual breach of diplomatic convention. Trump shared screenshots of the exchange on his Truth Social account.
In the messages, which a source close to Macron said were authentic, Macron told Trump: “I do not understand what you are doing on Greenland,” and offered to host a G7 meeting, inviting Russia and others. Neither Trump nor the French source disclosed when the messages were sent.
Trump had earlier vowed to impose a wave of escalating tariffs from February 1 on several European allies, including France, until the Washington is allowed to acquire Greenland — a move that major EU states have condemned as blackmail.
— Additional input from Reuters.
