On the eve of the NATO summit in London, senior officials of the administration of Donald Trump, questioned on the relations between the President of the United States and his French counterpart, had put forward "The great respect that both have for each other". It was put to the test Tuesday morning, December 3 by Donald Trump, who has increased criticism against Emmanuel Macron, late response to the interview given in mid-November to the British weekly The Economist in which he had argued that " brain death " of the Alliance.
Judgment "Very insulting", "very naughty vis-à-vis twenty-eight countries" from a country which has "A very high unemployment rate" and that "Do not go at all economically"; Donald Trump was all the more aggressive as the United States is considering heavily sanctioning French import products in retaliation for the adoption by Paris of a tax on the digital giants. He even assured that "No one needs NATO any more than France".
Four hours later, on the occasion of a tense bilateral meeting, Emmanuel Macron however did not give an inch. "I know that my comments aroused reactions, shook a little, but I maintain them", he said while Donald Trump, changing his tone, was touting the "Very good relationship" between the two countries, qualifying as "Minor dispute (…) that we will probably be able to overcome " commercial litigation.
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"We do not have the same definition of terrorism"
While Donald Trump welcomes rising defense spending by NATO members, his counterpart has urged to focus less on funding issues than on new threats to the Alliance.
Asking for a "Clarification" the French president has questioned the behavior of Turkey. "We do not have the same definition of terrorism around the table," he said. "When I look at Turkey, they are fighting those who fought with us" against the Islamic State (IS) organization, he said in an allusion to Ankara's military offensive against the allied Kurdish militias in the United States in October, which Washington did not oppose.
Emmanuel Macron once again distanced himself from his counterpart who had invited him to host "Charming foreign fighters" of the IS made prisoners during the fighting. " Be serious ", he retorted, relativizing the number of fighters from Europe. "For me, the first goal is to finish the job" against IS. The "Problem number one are not the foreign fighters (Prisoners). These are the Islamic State fighters in the region and you have more and more of these fighters because of the current situation ", he added. "It's the best non-response I've ever heard," retorted Donald Trump.
Act of defiance
From Iran's climate to international trade, there is no shortage of contentious issues between two men that only a particular political trajectory brings together. Just a year ago, Donald Trump had already multiplied the offensive messages on his Twitter account by commenting on the movement of "yellow vests". An opportunity to respond to the formula of Emmanuel Macron who commented on his decision to leave the United States of the Paris agreement to fight against global warming, in 2017, by diverting his campaign slogan, "Make America Great Again "Transformed into" Make Our Planet Great Again ".
The tenant of the White House had himself shared a false message that ensured that the streets of Paris, in the grip of clashes, resounded with the slogan " We want Trump! " attracting criticism from Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian, who had invited him not to meddle in French domestic affairs.
The Paris Agreement is not working out so much for Paris. Protests and riots all over France. People do not want to … https://t.co/Zgn65EgKzB
Since then, he never stops coming back. "How is the Paris agreement on the environment in France going? " he asked in March. "After eighteen weeks of protest riots" yellow vests ", not that good, I guess! In the meantime, the United States has been at the top of all environmental charts ", he asserted.
How is the Paris Environmental Accord working out for France? After 18 weeks of rioting by the Yellow Vest Protests … https://t.co/GIfPBvVS75
In November 2018, coming to Paris for the centenary of the armistice of 1918, Donald Trump had already reacted with virulence to the suggestion made by Emmanuel Macron that the European countries give themselves the means to ensure their defense. A position in theory compatible with the American credo of a better "sharing of the burden", defended by at least three administrations before that of the billionaire, but that the latter had considered as an act of defiance. "President Macron has just suggested that Europe build its own army to protect itself against the United States, China and Russia. Very insulting, but perhaps Europe should first pay its share to NATO, which the United States subsidizes widely! " Donald Trump wrote on his Twitter account, while the Air Force One had just landed in Paris.
President Macron of France has just suggested that Europe build its own military in order to protect itself … https://t.co/ZlE52iViPz
"The demons of the past"
At ceremonies, the president of "America First" remained unmoved when his counterpart warned against "The demons of the past that reappear". "Patriotism is the exact opposite of nationalism, nationalism is treason," said Emmanuel Macron to the one who exalts, every year, the principle of sovereignty at the United Nations General Assembly.
Back in Washington, Donald Trump fought back, returning to the idea of a European defense. "Emmanuel Macron suggests creating his own army to protect Europe against the United States, China and Russia. But that was Germany during the first and second world wars. How did it turn for France? In Paris, they began to learn German before the arrival of the United States " he had written on his Twitter account, before mocking the low popularity of the French president.
Emmanuel Macron suggests building its own army to protect Europe against the U.S., China and Russia. But it was Ger … https://t.co/2QhmeaaxPk
Trump will organize the G7 at Camp David instead of his golf in Florida
Donald Trump announced on Tuesday, December 3 that he would hold the G7 Great Powers Summit, in 2020, in the government residence of Camp David, Maryland, rather than in his golf in Florida, as considered a time.
"We will do it at Camp David", said the US president during a meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau before the summit of the 70e NATO anniversary in London. In October, he had announced that he would not organize it at the Trump National Doral Club in Miami.
