PRAISE BE

As recent social media comments reveal, Donald Trump still thinks flattery will get him everywhere

- BY NEWSWEEK EDITORS

DONALD TRUMP'S RECENT BROADSIDE AGAINST conservative provocateur Candace Owens took a somewhat unexpected turn when it detoured into fulsome praise of Brigitte Macron. In a pugilistic April 9 Truth Social post, the U.S. president mocked “crazy” Owens for spreading conspiracy theories about the French first lady but went further, sharply contrasting both her credibility and appearance against the conservative commentator.

It was a striking tonal shift from Trump, who had recently used Brigitte Macron as a punchline in his feud with French President Emmanuel Macron over the war with Iran.

The episode offers a revealing glimpse into how Trump weaponizes personal relationships—be it with flattery or mockery— as instruments of politics.

A Compliment With Purpose

On its face, Trump's attack on Owens was about intra MAGA discipline amid an unfurling civil war within the movement.

Owens has emerged as a sharp critic of Trump's war with Iran, and her long-running false claims about Brigitte Macron's sex have drawn a defamation lawsuit from the French first lady.

In slapping down Owens publicly, Trump was policing the boundaries of acceptable dissent against him and punching what may turn out to be an expensive bruise.

Trump called Owens “crazy” and said she “accuses the Highly Respected First Lady of France of being a man, when she is not, and will hopefully win lots of money in the ongoing lawsuit,” in the middle of his nearly 500-word missive.

“Actually, to me, the First Lady of France is a far more beautiful woman than Candace, in fact, it’s not even close!” Trump continued.

But the praise lands awkwardly. Just days earlier, Trump had joked to Republicans in Congress that the French president's wife “treats him extremely badly” as he criticized France for refusing to join U.S. military operations against Iran.