PARIS, June 18, (AP): What began with a handshake evolved into turbulence at 33,000 feet as one of diplomacy's oddest relationships took another strange turn. The political chemistry that once defined the Trump-Macron dynamic - immortalized by a famously tense 29-second handshake in 2017 - was nowhere to be seen in midair Tuesday when US President Donald Trump blasted his French counterpart on social media.

As Trump departed the G7 summit early, French President Emmanuel Macron tried to reframe the exit as strategic. "There is indeed an offer to meet and exchange,” Macron told reporters, suggesting the US might help broker a ceasefire between Israel and Iran. But aboard Air Force One, Trump responded with a swipe that accused Macron of showboating. "Wrong! He is ‘publicity seeking’ and always gets it wrong," Trump said in a post on his Truth Social site.

"He has no idea why I am now on my way to Washington… Much bigger than that. Stay tuned!” The takedown punctured Macron’s narrative and revealed a rupture in a relationship that has featured theater, flattery and touch. Macron, who once styled himself as a "Trump whisperer,” has long used charm and proximity to try to manage the unpredictable US leader, often contrasting himself with more openly critical peers like Germany’s Angela Merkel.

But those efforts are far from foolproof. But as Trump became increasingly aggressive in his comments about Iran, urging Tehran's " UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER,” Macron eventually offered a blunt counter assessment, saying a push for regime change in Iran would spark "chaos” and further destabilize the Middle East. "We do not want to see Iran acquire nuclear weapons or ballistic capabilities,” Macron told reporters at the G7.

"But I believe the greatest mistake today would be to pursue regime change in Iran through military means, as that would lead to chaos." Recalling the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq, he continued: "Does anyone think what was done in Iraq in 2003 was a good idea? Does anyone think what was done in Libya last decade was a good idea? No.” Macron also noted that he'd had ″the best relations in the world″ with Trump during the US resident's first term.