US media praises 'charmer' Macron over his meeting with Trump
Talks covered War in Ukraine and EU-US relations
The presidents discussed several issues on Monday
Joshua Sukoff/Shutterstock
French President Emmanuel Macron has been widely praised by US media outlets after his visit to the United States to meet American counterpart Donald Trump.
Mr Macron flew to Washington to speak with Mr Trump on a number of issues on Monday (February 24), including US-EU relations and the war in Ukraine.
The president informed followers on his social media last Thursday about the meeting – which took place earlier this week – and publicly announced what he wanted to discuss with the US president.
The French president was joined by members of his cabinet including Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot and Finance Minister Éric Lombard.
Despite the frosty atmosphere prior – Mr Trump’s recent comments over the War and EU-US defence policy have caused some ire in Europe – the meeting was hailed as a success, with Mr Macron reportedly charming the president.
‘Art of the deal’
“President Macron is a very special man to me,” said the US president, leading Mr Macron to respond by saying he and Mr Trump “are personal friends, because we work very well together.”
USA Today covered the relaxed body language of the French president with Mr Trump:
“A gentle pat on the leg. An affectionate grab of the arm… Emmanuel Macron managed to do what no other European leader could do so far: charm President Donald Trump,” it said.
The outlet implied Mr Macron had mastered ‘the art of the deal’, referencing the well-known book on business strategies by the US president.
TIME magazine also highlighted the French president’s cordial nature – often complimenting Mr Trump – before adding that the meeting “sends a message on Ukraine peace deal” on behalf of the EU.
“[Emmanuel Macron] casually corrected his American counterpart on one of the most pressing issues on the global stage,” the magazine added.
Mr Macron interrupted the US president when he was discussing loans made by European nations to Ukraine and the freezing of Russian assets by EU nations.
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Will meetings lead to real change?
However, other media outlets were less optimistic that the meeting would lead to a significant change in outlook from the White House, even if they remained complimentary to the French president.
“But their differences were still rather obvious, and by the end of the day it did not appear Trump had moved significantly from his positions on who was responsible for the Ukraine war or whether Europe had done enough to support Kyiv,” said CNN.
The New York Times was also less-than-convinced:
“[Emmanuel Macron] struck a chummy tone with President Trump even as he corrected him with a smile.”
“That one-two punch of flattery and gentle resistance is an example of how some European leaders are trying to approach America at a fraught moment… The question is whether it will work,” the newspaper added.
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