People Think French President Trolled Trump With One Particular Word In His Tweet: "He Knew..."

Following Donald Trump’s projected victory in the 2024 U.S. presidential election, global leaders quickly offered congratulations to the president-elect. However, one word from a congratulatory message from French President Emmanuel Macron caught the attention of social media, leaving many to wonder if it was an intentional slight.

Offering the American president-elect well-wishes, Macron wrote on X, formerly Twitter, “Congratulations, President @realDonaldTrump. Ready to work together as we did for four years. With your convictions and mine. With respect and ambition. For more peace and prosperity.” Social media users quickly picked up on the humor in Macron’s wording, with many commenting on the ironic use of 'convictions' given Trump’s legal history.

As such, one social media user asked, “Trying to work out if Macron has actually achieved Boss Level troll status by mentioning Trump’s ‘convictions.’” Another joked, “Well, he’s certainly got some convictions." Naturally, the hilarity of the single word used in Macron's post was not lost on people. One more user said, “Interesting use of the word 'convictions,...' whereas someone else cheered, "I particularly like his reference to Trump's 'convictions.'" Directly referencing the ambiguity of the post, "By "convictions" you mean deeply held beliefs, right?" someone else asked. 

In response to the viral discussion, a member of Macron’s communications team clarified in an email to HuffPost that "the word ‘convictions’ in the President’s tweet means beliefs and cannot be associated with the meaning of convictions as condemnation or sanctions.” Despite the clarification, the phrase continued to spark laughter and commentary, with some insisting that 'he knew what he was doing.' After all, Trump’s legal troubles are significant. In May, a New York jury found him guilty of 34 felony charges for falsifying financial records to conceal a $130,000 payment to adult film actress Stormy Daniels.

The payment allegedly aimed to keep Daniels silent about an alleged affair with Trump, thereby influencing the 2016 election by suppressing negative stories about the GOP leader. Trump, who has maintained his innocence, faces sentencing in this case on November 26. Trump also faces four federal charges related to spreading false claims of election fraud in an attempt to block the counting and certification of votes from the 2020 election, which he lost to Democrat Joe Biden, according to Daily Mail.

The president-elect has previously requested presidential immunity from federal courts, causing months of delay in the Washington D.C. case. The federal judge presiding over the case is still evaluating the extent to which Trump’s reported actions to overturn his 2020 election loss may be protected by presidential immunity. Special Counsel Jack Smith previously charged Trump with unlawfully retaining classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate and obstructing government efforts to retrieve them. However, Florida U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon dismissed all charges in July, ruling that Smith was improperly appointed and lacked authority in the case.