France’s Macron demand: An image has been circulated in Chinese-language social media posts that claims it shows French President Emmanuel Macron making a speech in which he said that French support to the U.S. to help it gain its independence more than 200 years ago was a loan, not aid, meaning the U.S. must pay interest.
But the claim is false. The image was taken from a televised speech that Macron delivered to the French public on March 5. A review of the speech confirms that he made no such remarks. Keyword searches found no credible reports or statements to back the claim.
The claim was shared on X on March 8, 2025.
“French President Emmanuel Macron said that the fund that France supported 200 years ago to help the United States gain independence was a loan, not aid, and now demand that the Trump administration pay the interest of 150 trillion U.S. dollars,” the claim reads.
The claim was shared alongside an image of what appears to be a televised speech by Macron.
The superimposed text reads: “France says US independence funding was a loan, and is now demanding $150 trillion in interest.”
France played a crucial role in helping the U.S. gain independence from Britain during the American Revolutionary War (1775–1783).
In 1778, France formally allied with the U.S., providing military aid, financial support, and naval power. The French supplied weapons, ammunition, and troops, and their navy played a decisive role in the Battle of Yorktown in 1781, which led to the British surrender.
Historians say the financial burden France incurred helping the U.S. contributed to the outbreak of the French Revolution in 1789.
But the claim that Macron demanded the U.S. to pay interest on funds provided by France is false.
A reverse image search found the same photo of Macron recently posted on online social forum Reddit.
A closer look at the image shows the letters “LCI” embedded in the photo’s upper right frame.
Superimposed text on the image read: “LCI” and “Emission spéciale”.
“LCI” stands for “ La Chaîne Info,” a French free-to-air news channel.
A separate keyword search found the image was taken from a televised speech of Macron on March 5.
The record of the speech was published by LCI on its YouTube channel on March 6.
A review of a verbatim French transcript published by the French Presidential Palace and a real-time English interpretation broadcast by the French broadcaster France 24 found that the president made no such statements about the U.S. needing to repay France for its assistance in the Revolutionary War.
In the speech, Macron called on European countries to independently strengthen their collective defense in the event of U.S. support being withdrawn. He also noted that France was considering expanding its nuclear umbrella to include European allies.
Keyword searches found no credible reports or statements to back the claim. RFA/SP