Why France's Emmanuel Macron was wearing sunglasses at Davos

French President Emmanuel Macron wore a pair of reflective, aviator-style sunglasses with blue-tinted lenses as he stepped into the spotlight at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland Tuesday.

And while the French may be known for their appreciation of haute couture, Macron’s slick eyewear wasn’t strictly a fashion choice.

During a New Year’s address to armed forces members in southern France last Thursday, Macron’s right eye appeared bloodshot and swollen. He apologized for its “unsightly appearance” and told the assembly it was “something completely harmless,” according to The Associated Press.

“Simply see an unintentional reference to the ‘Eye of the Tiger’ … it is a sign of determination,” he quipped in reference to Survivor’s 1982 hit of the same name, which served as the theme song for Rocky III.

The day before arriving in Davos, Macron was wearing sunglasses at the Elysee Palace in Paris, where he held meetings on New Caledonia and signed the Elysée-Oudinot Accord — a new constitutional and financial agreement concerning the French Pacific territory.

He hasn’t clarified whether the glasses are meant to protect his eye or simply to hide its appearance.

The French president didn’t mention his ocular malaise or the trendy shades during his address and fireside chat on Tuesday . But the 48-year-old head of state did respond to U.S. President Donald Trump’s threat to impose levies on European nations opposing his plans to acquire Greenland.

“Without collective governance, cooperation gives way to relentless competition, competition from the United States of America through trade agreements that undermine our export interests, demand maximum concessions, and openly aim to weaken and subordinate Europe, combined with an endless accumulation of new tariffs that are fundamentally unacceptable, even more so when they are used as leverage against territorial sovereignty.”

Macron, who started his speech joking about the world being in “a time of peace, stability and predictability,” also took a subtle jab at Trump’s repeated claim of ending eight wars since his presidency began, remarking that the world saw more than 60 wars break out in 2024.

“An absolute record, even if I understood a few of them were fixed,” he said from behind the glasses.

Near the end of his speech, Macron said France favours “respect” and adhering to the “rule of law” over “bullying.”

He told reporters there are no plans to speak with Trump in Davos, according to the Independent .

Late last week, Macron declined an invitation to join Trump’s “Board of Peace,” a global group he has proposed building off his similar entity created for Gaza.

“Nobody wants him because he’s going to be out of office very soon,” Trump told reporters on Monday night, as reported by Bloomberg.

“I’ll put a 200 per cent tariff on his wines and champagnes, and he’ll join, but he doesn’t have to join.”

On Truth Social shortly after, he shared an apparent private text message between the pair in which Macron questions the move on Greenland and offers to set up an informal G7 meeting.

An official close to Macron told The Associated Press that the message is genuine.

Trump is due to speak at the WEF on Wednesday morning in an address which will be live-streamed on an official website and YouTube channel .

He is also planning a Thursday event to launch his “Board of Peace.”

• Trump posts map showing Canada and Greenland under U.S. control
• Full text and video: Mark Carney tells World Economic Forum 'the old order is not coming back'

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