Donald Trump elected president, what he said with Emmanuel Macron on the phone after his re-election

DIPLOMACY – Congratulations and a very quick first call, a nod to their past relations: Emmanuel Macron showed himself to take the initiative against Donald Trump this Wednesday, November 6, pleading, by telephone, for a Europe “stronger”.

At 6:00 p.m., Emmanuel Macron was also among the very first heads of state and government to meet with the president-elect of the United States for a “very good 25 minute exchange” during which they expressed their “desire to work for the return of peace and stability” facing the “major ongoing international crises”in Ukraine and the Middle East, according to the Élysée.

Those around him insist on character ” warm “ of the interview, in the name of the relationship established in 2017, during the American's first mandate.

Emmanuel Macron also took the initiative to immediately speak with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz to jointly affirm the need for “Europe more united, stronger, more sovereign in this new context”.

Keeping Europe safe

“Macron has a very clear idea of ​​what a Trump 2.0 means for the European Union”Mujtaba Rahman, of the Eurasia Group think tank, told AFP. “And in fact, we observed a very strong and rapid reaction from him”in order to set the tone for « message public » Europeans, he adds.

The French president has been advocating European sovereignty for several years, a concept which gained ground with the Covid-19 pandemic and then the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

In his speech at the Sorbonne University in April, he went so far as to warn that “Europe can die” without interruption to ensure its security, very dependent on the United States, and to strengthen the competitiveness of its economy, threatened with a lasting decline in relation to American and Chinese competition.

“Regain legitimacy at European level”

Today, on the verge of a « come back » thundering of Trump, potentially bringing an accelerated disengagement of Washington from the Old Continent and kyiv, Emmanuel Macron considers himself well placed to take European leadership. The two men, who had broken the codes, each in their own way, to get into business seven years ago, had first established a special relationship, between seduction and balance of power.

But it had not really borne fruit: the Frenchman had failed to prevent several key choices from his counterpart, such as the withdrawal from the climate agreements or the Iranian nuclear issue. With the return of the populist tribune, the French president “must tell himself that he will have a little card to play”slips one of his relatives.

Weakened in France where his camp lost the last legislative elections, he can “regain legitimacy at European level”Mujtaba Rahman's slave.

Its bet: that when faced with the wall, the EU reacts and takes “his destiny in hand”as government spokesperson Maud Bregeon said on Wednesday.

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