French President Emmanuel Macron drew international attention at the World Economic Forum in Davos on Tuesday for his firm criticism of former U.S. President Donald Trump’s threat to impose tariffs on eight European nations over Greenland. But it was his striking choice of eyewear that also sparked widespread curiosity.
During his address, Macron wore a pair of blue reflective aviator sunglasses indoors, an unusual accessory for a formal diplomatic setting. While he did not comment on them during the speech, French media reports link the sunglasses to a recent minor eye condition.
Last week, Macron appeared at a military event in southern France with visible redness in one eye and briefly wore similar tinted glasses. He later addressed the issue lightheartedly, describing it as “totally benign” and “completely insignificant,” and quipped to troops, “Please pardon the unsightly appearance of my eye.”
In a playful reference to the 1982 film Rocky III, Macron called it “l’oeil du tigre”* the “eye of the tiger” adding, “For those who get the reference, it’s a sign of determination.”
French outlets reported that Macron appeared to have a subconjunctival hemorrhage, a broken blood vessel in the eye that is generally harmless and resolves on its own.
The sunglasses, worn during a high-profile speech that criticized Trump’s proposed tariffs, added an unexpected visual element to Macron’s diplomatic messaging.
