French President Emmanuel Macron dismissed territorial claims from the U.S. The remarks came on September 20, 2026, as Macron arrived in the territory ahead of a historic meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney.
French President Emmanuel Macron pushed back directly against territorial disputes raised by Washington, telling reporters upon his arrival in Saint Pierre and Miquelon that the island territory is firmly tied to France. The response follows a map published by U.S. President Donald Trump on Truth Social on September 7, which marked French overseas territories using the colors of the American flag. According to reporting by the French newspaper Le Figaro, Macron emphasized that Saint Pierre and Miquelon is a French territory and “that is obvious” (that is obvious
).
Dismissing the cartographic dispute, Macron offered a sharp assessment of the situation, adding as quoted by BFMTV and Le Figaro:
“We will not repeat this every morning just because people have strange thoughts or say strange things”
Emmanuel Macron, President of France
As noted in the French press, Saint Pierre and Miquelon is a former French colony in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Canada that obtained the special status of an overseas collectivity of France in 2003.
Diplomatic Timing in Saint Pierre and Miquelon
The territorial defense sets the stage for a notable diplomatic encounter. On Sunday, September 20, 2026, Macron hosts Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney in the town of Saint Pierre, located just a few kilometers off the Canadian coast. It marks the first such meeting in the history of the city.
According to regional reporting, the visit carries broader economic and geopolitical weight. Macron described the gathering as a strong signal—This is a strong signal
—amid ongoing trade tensions, including a trade war unleashed by Trump against Canada. Driven by soaring oil prices caused by the war in the Middle East in search of alternative supply sources, Paris is looking to Canadians as major producers. Macron expressed a desire for more Canadian liquefied natural gas to reach the Atlantic coast and thereby Europe, highlighting broader prospects for cooperation with Canada.
Carney arrived in the Atlantic islands having just returned from Strasbourg, where he secured a significant rapprochement between Canada and the European Union on Thursday. Following this, U.S. President Donald Trump threatened to impose serious tariffs against the EU if Canada becomes an associate member of the bloc. In response, Carney assured that Canada will not yield to pressure from Washington.
Wider Territorial Pressures and Global Repercussions
The map controversy involving Saint Pierre and Miquelon fits into a broader pattern of shifting territorial rhetoric from Washington. President Donald Trump published a map on Truth Social coloring Mexico, Canada, and French overseas territories in the colors of the American flag. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum reacted to the publication by stating that her country has not been and will not be a colony or protectorate of another state, emphasizing, We are proud to be a free, independent and sovereign state
(We are proud to be a free, independent and sovereign state). Criticisms of the publication also came from Iceland and Denmark.
These tensions follow years of aggressive posturing regarding northern territories. During his first presidential term from 2017 to 2021, Trump stated that the U.S. was ready to purchase Greenland from Denmark, voicing a financial proposal of 600 million dollars annually for permanent use of the island. On January 7, 2025, Trump did not rule out the possibility of using military or economic pressure to establish control over Greenland and the Panama Canal, publicly calling for Greenland to be annexed by the U.S. and calling such a scenario inevitable. On January 20, Trump signed a decree renaming the Gulf of Mexico to the American Gulf and the highest peak in the United States, Denali in Alaska, to McKinley. On January 21, during a speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Trump stated that the United States would not use military force to establish control over Greenland.
Trump also made statements regarding Canada, declaring in February 2025 that many people in Canada would like to become the 51st state of the United States. The renaming occurred amid deteriorating relations between Washington and Ottawa following the breakdown of trade negotiations and the introduction of new tariffs.
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