Emmanuel Macron made another public appearance on Monday, June 29, wearing his now-iconic aviator sunglasses — the same pair that had already turned heads at the Davos Forum. Back then, the French president had chosen to wear them due to an eye problem, during a speech in which he clashed with Donald Trump.
This time, Macron appeared wearing blue-tinted glasses on the steps of the Élysée Palace, where he welcomed the Sultan of Oman, Haitham bin Tariq. According to his aides, the choice was not due to the bright Parisian sunshine, but rather another “eye problem” — though no further details were disclosed.
The French president kept his glasses on throughout the remainder of the day, both during the agreement-signing ceremony inside the presidential palace alongside the Sultan, and later at the hotel hosting the French-Omani business forum.
Macron, the phrase “for sure,” and a viral moment
Macron’s aviators went viral when he wore them at the World Economic Forum in Davos in January, during a speech in which he pushed back against Donald Trump, repeatedly using the phrase “for sure.”
On that occasion, he declared that Europe must stand up to “bullies” and become “much stronger and more autonomous,” at a time when tensions were running high over Trump’s plans for Greenland. Macron emerged as the face of Europe’s pushback against the American president, with his sunglasses becoming — even inadvertently — a symbol of that defiant stance.
Trump himself fueled the buzz, joking about Macron’s aviators and quipping: “I saw him trying to look tough with those nice sunglasses.”
The glasses that became a symbol
After Davos, demand for the Henry Jullien glasses skyrocketed, temporarily crashing the French manufacturer’s website. Meanwhile, a winemaker released a rosé wine with a label featuring aviator glasses, a tie, and the phrase “For Sure.”
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer also joined in the fun, posting a satirical Top Gun-style poster featuring himself and Macron as fighter jet pilots.
The French leader, who speaks English well — if with a strong accent — responded in his signature style: “For sure.”
