Secret communications between heads of state are the invisible pillars that uphold the international order. Even when they trade harsh criticisms in public, they have sought compromises and averted disaster behind the scenes with discreet messages.
On the 20th (local time), U.S. President Donald Trump broke a long-standing diplomatic taboo. That day, Trump posted screenshots on his social media of private cellphone text messages he exchanged with European leaders, including French President Emmanuel Macron.
Around 3 p.m. Eastern time that day, Trump uploaded a series of text-message screenshots to Truth Social, the social networking service he operates. Experts said they believed the texts were exchanged via Signal, the messenger launched in 2014 by the U.S. nonprofit Signal Foundation.
The texts show Macron opening in a friendly tone, calling Trump "my friend" to start the conversation. But the substance was sharp. Macron began, "Across the Atlantic, I want to talk about communication and about Greenland, Gaza, Ukraine, and your tariff announcement."
Macron's messages became increasingly direct. "I cannot understand what you are trying to do in Greenland," he wrote, openly criticizing Trump's push to purchase Greenland.
Even so, Macron did not forget a conciliatory gesture. He invited Trump to a dinner, proposing an expanded G7 meeting in Paris that would include Russia right after the Davos Forum. Experts said this passage clearly revealed Macron's diplomatic gambit to tap into Trump's fear of international isolation and draw him to the table.
But Trump publicly disclosed the back-channel conversation, completely costing Macron face. Just before releasing the texts, he threatened to impose tariffs of up to 200% on French wine and champagne. It came right after France said it would not join the peace committee he is leading.
Meeting with reporters that day, Trump said, "President Macron is nearing the end of his term," and sent a taunting warning: "I don't care whether he joins the committee or not, but once the 200% tariffs take effect, he will eventually come around." Trump also sequentially released his exchanges with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, in addition to Macron.
It is hard to find a case in diplomatic history where private communications between leaders were exposed to the public so blatantly. Private channels are the last line that allows leaders to seek concessions and compromises candidly, free from domestic political pressure. During the Cold War, John F. Kennedy and Nikita Khrushchev built trust by exchanging confidential letters even amid a hair-trigger nuclear crisis.
Experts said Trump dismantled this safety mechanism that the diplomatic community had tacitly recognized. The fear that conversations between leaders could be made public at any time shakes the very foundation of international diplomacy—trust. A counterpart whose private communications are exposed and whose face is damaged is likely to harbor hostility.
Some predicted that leaders, wary that every word will be tailored for domestic politics, will issue only tough, formulaic official statements. In that case, space for compromise disappears and working-level diplomacy will inevitably be paralyzed. That could be a major headwind for the current international landscape, crowded with agenda items spanning Greenland, Iran, and Venezuela.
The political outlet Politico said, "Trump's act of sharing screenshots of text messages with leaders offered an unprecedented look at how foreign leaders are trying to cajole him."