Macron tells ABC News' David Muir: 'Hormuz Strait was probably underestimated'

The French president sat down with David Muir for an exclusive interview.

In a wide-ranging exclusive interview with ABC News' David Muir, French President Emmanuel Macron said the "main objective" of his meeting with President Donald Trump on Monday was "to find the right deal in order to open" the Strait of Hormuz and address the escalating global energy crisis that has caused the price of gas, diesel and jet fuel to spike.  

Macron told Muir that when the war started, "the Iranian regime discovered they had this card in their hands," in their ability to close the strait.  When asked whether that was a "blind spot" for Trump, Macron responded "I will not here blame anybody. We are where we are. I think the U.S -- I mean, your country -- is the one able to fix this issue, and we need you." 

He added that the situation with the Strait "was probably underestimated, and today we have to fix this issue." 

French President Emmanuel Macron speaks with David Muir, anchor for ABC World News Tonight in New York City.ABC NewsRelatedIran live updates: Trump says team met with Iran delegation at UNWhen Muir asked the French president whether he would offer up his nation's military to help reopen the strait, Macron replied, "I don't want to engage in a confrontation with any country, but we are ready to be more engaged in order to protect some capacities in order to make this transit possible, yes."

Macron also criticized the decision to go to war in the first place, saying "Having a regime change by bombing a country is not something I think feasible." He added, "And for me, it's not a good option, because it doesn't work. And we did this mistake several times in the past decades."

Responding to Trump's complaints that "The U.S. is spending hundreds of billions of dollars, and [European allies] are not there for us," Macron told Muir France respects the U.S. and considers itself a "good ally."

Macron added "But when you want to engage people, you strategize with them, and you ask them before launching a war, and we decided not to join this war because we considered, and I still consider, it was not the right option."

With Macron warning about intensifying Russian threats towards Europe, Muir asked whether he believed Russian President Vladimir Putin when he said Russia has "no aggressive intentions."

France's Foreign Affairs Minister Jean-Noel Barrot and French President Emmanuel Macron arrive at Trump Tower in New York City, September 21, 2026, ahead of a meeting with President Donald Trump.Ludovic Marin/AFP via Getty Images"No," Macron responded. "I don't buy when President Putin say years ago he wanted peace and make peace. This is not true. And I don't buy when he say he doesn't -- he's not aggressive with -- with Europeans. This is not true." 

Macron told Muir he had a "very good discussion" with Trump regarding Russia's war in Ukraine while in New York this week.

"My conviction is that your president has a fair assessment now of the situation, that Russia is not delivering what they wanted, that Ukraine is resisting with a lot of bravery and innovation, and that we have to help them," he said.

Asked about his relationship with Trump, Macron told Muir that he and Trump have a "very good" relationship, and while they sometimes disagree, "we have always been extremely frank to each other."

The French president said he believes Ukraine is an area where he has been able to "convince" Trump.

"I think on Ukraine we worked very hard, a few of us," he said. "I hope we change his mind. And the fact that he got the conviction that Russia was overrated."

During the interview Tuesday, Muir asked Macron about Trump's recent social media post showing a map with the U.S. flag sprawling across North America, including French territories off the coast of Canada.

France's President Emmanuel Macron speaks during the 81st United Nations General Assembly at the United Nations Headquarters in New York City, September 22, 2026.Timothy A. Clary/AFP via Getty Images"When asked about the map, you said, "People have strange ideas. They say strange things." Did you tell President Trump you thought it was strange?" Muir asked Macron.

"Yes, several times," Macron responded. 

"Honestly, look at the situation today ... We have a war in Ukraine which is existential for the European security. We have war in the Middle East ... We have AI and all this technological race to, not to fix, but to coordinate and make sure that there is not a race to the worst between China and the U.S ... .We have sufficient topics to be fixed. Let's not create new conflicts and new tensions," Macron told Muir.

And as Trump calls AI fears a "hoax," Macron said he takes concerns that AI could pose a significant threat to humanity "very seriously."

"This is why we have to make it totally clear and to have visibility, cooperation, and build new regulation on these consequences," Macron told Muir, while calling for a global discussion on the rapidly developing technology.

"I think we should make a distinction between a pause for the frontier model and innovation and how precisely to be efficient regarding the misuses. ... It should not be just the decision of the U.S. government," he said. "It's a necessity to have a proper discussion between [the] U.S., China, Europe, and the rest of the world ... to deal with AI excesses and with AI risks for our economies and national securities."

Muir asked the French president about Trump's proposed "Triumphal Arch," which Trump has said is inspired by the Arc de Triomphe in Paris.

"President Trump wants to build an arch in Washington. He says it's gonna be like the one in Paris, but it'll blow it away," Muir asked Macron.

Macron responded he has seen pictures of the proposed arch, and had discussed the Arc de Triomphe with President Trump "several times."

Muir following up, asking "Is it gonna blow it away?"

"No," Macron responded. "Paris will remain Paris and the Arc de Triomphe remain the Arc de Triomphe...These monuments are bigger than ourselves."