Trump inauguration: Macron urges Europe to 'wake up' and spend more on defence

French President Emmanuel Macron toasts U.S. President Donald Trump during a State Dinner at the White House in Washington. (Reuters)

French President Emmanuel Macron called on Europe Monday to “wake up” and spend more on defence, in a speech to the French military as Donald Trump returns to power.

Macron referred to expected changes in Washington's foreign policies especially regarding the war in Ukraine and said this is an “opportunity for a European strategic wake-up call”.

“What will we do in Europe tomorrow if our American ally withdraws its warships from the Mediterranean? If they send their fighter jets from the Atlantic to the Pacific?” he asked.

Trump has criticised the cost of the war in Ukraine for US taxpayers through major military aid packages and vowed to bring the conflict to a swift end. He also has made it clear that he wants to shift more of the burden of Ukraine onto Europe.

Trump will be inaugurated Monday, taking the oath of office to formally kick off his second term in the White House.

The inauguration marks the official transfer of presidential power, with the executive branch changing hands from the Biden administration to the Trump administration. The 20th Amendment states that a president's four-year term ends at noon on Jan. 20, and the president-elect is sworn in shortly after.

The inaugural ceremonies of the president-elect and vice president-elect are planned by the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies. Led this year by Sen. Amy Klobuchar, a Democrat from Minnesota, the committee  will oversee eight events on Inauguration Day.