French President Macron raises eyebrows with choice of words in congratulatory message to Trump

Since Donald Trump won the recent US election, world leaders have sent congratulatory messages to the President-elect - including French President Emmanuel Macron.

But one word from Macron's statement has certainly raised some eyebrows...

In a post on social media, the French leader said he is "ready to work together" with Trump as they did previously when the 78-year-old was last in office from 2017 to 2020.

"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," he wrote.

The choice to use the word "convictions" has garnered a lot of reaction online, due to the fact that Trump was convicted on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in New York back in May.

Though, a member of Macron's communications team clarified to The Huffington Post: "The word ’convictions’ in the president’s tweet mean beliefs and cannot be associated with the meaning of convictions as condemnation/sanctions."

Nevertheless, it didn't take long for social media users to troll this unfortunate double entendre.

Meanwhile, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer also congratulated Trump on his victory.

"Congratulations President-elect @realDonaldTrump on your historic election victory. I look forward to working with you in the years ahead," the Labour leader wrote.

“As the closest of allies, we stand shoulder to shoulder in defence of our shared values of freedom, democracy and enterprise."

He added: "From growth and security to innovation and tech, I know that the UK-US special relationship will continue to prosper on both sides of the Atlantic for years to come."

On Wednesday (November 6), Starmer spoke to Trump where he "offered his hearty congratulations" on the President-elect's win.

The pair also "reflected on the situation in the Middle East and underscored the importance of regional stability," and "fondly recalled their meeting in September," Downing Street said.

How to join the indy100's free WhatsApp channel

Sign up to our free indy100 weekly newsletter

Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.