Trump attacks Macron after landing in Paris for want of a european army
Appeasement after the anger. Diplomacy after a tweet very hard. Emmanuel Macron and Donald Trump staged, at least in public, an armistice in their meeting at the Elysee palace. Although the differences are obvious.
The body language spoke of tension. The president of the French Republic received its counterpart with the best of smiles. There was a handshake. But the american president had the furrowed brow and face of few friends.
Trump is in Paris to attend the Sunday of the commemoration of the Armistice that ended the First World War. But their differences on the role of Europe in the common defence, have been again shown.
The thing began to go wrong as soon as they land at Orly airport on Air Force One. “The president of the French Macron just suggest that Europe build your own army to protect itself from the united States, China and Russia. Very insulting, but perhaps Europe should first pay their fair share of the NATO, that the united States is subsidized in a large part!”, wrote Trump on his Twitter account.
The american president made reference to some statements of the French Europe 1 radio on Tuesday. It is true that Macron said: “we have to protect ourselves against China, Russia and even the united States”. But in that moment of the interview he spoke of the cyber threats and the unilateral withdrawal of the USA from a nuclear disarmament treaty with Russia.
In a lot of information, the words of Macron were played after these others: “The europeans will not be protected if we do decide to have a real european army. Face to Russia, which is in our borders, and he has shown he can be a threat, Europe should be able to defend itself, in a sovereign manner, without relying on the united states.”
In any case, it was enough to see the faces of both leaders to realize that they were not on the same wave length. Macron, smiling, tried to break the ice, giving pats on the knee of Trump. Both, seated, in the chairs gold of the Elysee. The american president, serious, with a furrowed brow and clenched jaw.
Macron spoke to him in French and English. He recalled that “the friendship between the two peoples and their armies is the oldest in the world”, in allusion to the support of France to the struggle of the americans in the war for independence from the English crown. Granted that Europe has to share the costs of their defense. This gave rise to its counterpart to return the courtesies, and vote in favour of a united Europe.
bla bla bla diplomat alludes to the anger that Trump stuck to his NATO partners because they do not contribute enough to the military spending. Argues that Washington “subsidizes” the security of a Europe that takes advantage of it to employ their money in other policies. Trump, in his own way, rude, comes to insist on the same thing that he said, with elegance, Obama in his last visit to Europe. The commitment to devote 2% of GDP to military spending is still unfulfilled.
Between Trump and Macron there is also another difference of draught. The French president has organized a Forum for Peace, to the thread of the centenary of the Armistice. The central idea is the multilateral response to the risks of the present. This, of course, repels Trump not to take part in the Forum.
The two presidents had lunch at the Elysée palace, in the company of their wives, Brigitte and Melania. Trump suspended his visit to a military cemetery “due to the bad weather”. The Sunday will participate with 70 other heads of state, including Putin and the King of Spain, in the acts conmerativos the 11th of November.
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