Starmer, Macron trade top gun jokes on social media

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer poked fun at the sunglasses worn in recent days by French President Emmanuel Macron, who responded with a good-humored remark — all in the form of a reference to the 1986 film Top Gun, according to AFP.

“Bonjour!” the Labour leader said, putting on a pair of aviator sunglasses in a short video posted on his TikTok account on Monday evening, CE Report quotes AGERPRES.

The clip is part of the recording of the podcast The Political Party, in which Starmer took part at a theater in the British capital.

“Talk to me, Goose,” a line from Top Gun starring Hollywood actor Tom Cruise, aimed at the French president, is included in the text accompanying the video.

In the film, Goose is the co-pilot and best friend of Maverick, played by Tom Cruise. Maverick often told him “Talk to me, Goose” while flying a fighter jet.

That was enough for the French head of state to reply in the comments with “For sure,” echoing a phrase he used several times in his speech at Davos on January 20, which went viral on social media.

The British leader quickly reacted by posting an image resembling a Top Gun movie poster: no Tom Cruise, just the two leaders in military uniforms, wearing sunglasses. Above them are two fighter jets and the flags of France and the United Kingdom.

The sunglasses worn by Emmanuel Macron due to a benign eye condition — which he wore notably during his Davos speech — caused a stir and sparked a wave of memes on social media.

Even U.S. President Donald Trump did not miss the opportunity to mock Emmanuel Macron, saying that he was trying “to play tough.”