Signing off as America's top diplomat, Antony Blinken was feted on Wednesday, January 8 by France – and forced to brush aside bombastic remarks by incoming president Donald Trump.

Blinken, on a farewell tour less than two weeks before Trump takes office, visited Paris where President Emmanuel Macron was presenting him with the Légion d'honneur, France's highest order of merit.

"I would like to tell you that you show the face of the America that we love," French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot told Blinken before the ceremony.

But as Blinken sought to highlight President Joe Biden's efforts to nurture alliances, the secretary of state was asked to address threats by Trump against Greenland.

The president-elect has made clear his designs on oil-rich and strategically placed Greenland, an autonomous territory of European Union member Denmark, and refused to rule out military action.

Asked about the remarks at a news conference with Barrot, Blinken, without using Trump's name, said: "The idea expressed about Greenland is obviously not a good one, but maybe more important, it's obviously one that's not going to happen. So we probably shouldn't waste a lot of time talking about it."

Blinken, a longtime Democratic Party policymaker and aide to Biden who has generally steered clear of electoral politics, also played down statements by Elon Musk, the owner of X (formerly Twitter), who has been joined at the hip with Trump for months.

The South African-born billionaire, who has been tasked by Trump with an initiative to curb government spending, has rattled European politicians by championing the far right in Germany and Britain.

"Private citizens in our country can say what they want," Blinken said. "He, like any American, has the right to express his views."

Barrot, however, took direct aim at Musk, saying: "Everyone has the right to express their opinions, but obviously when you're participating or aspiring to participate in a government, opinions take on a particular meaning."

Barrot said Musk was making alliances with "parties of the far right that flirt with neo-Nazi currents, as is the case with the AfD" in Germany. "The Republican Party will have to take responsibility for linking its destiny to parties that represent what the Republican Party always fought against," he added.

The visit to France is especially poignant for Blinken, a fluent French speaker who spent part of his childhood in Paris and has spoken of France's role in forming his worldview.

With Trump expected again to push European allies to do more on security and to push for a settlement between Ukraine and Russia, Blinken hailed France's role in training Ukrainian troops as "one of the strongest examples of burden-sharing" he had seen.

"I think in the months to come, France's leadership will be essential for ensuring that Ukraine has what it needs to be in the strongest possible position to defend its democratic independence, whether that's on the battlefield or at the negotiating table," Blinken said.