He was the first head of state of a major Western country to salute his victory. Emmanuel Macron sent his “congratulations” to “President Donald Trump” on Wednesday morning on X, even before his victory was official. The French president said he was “ready to work together as we were able to do for four years”, from 2016 to 2020. The two men then had a “very good 25-minute exchange” by telephone in the evening, according to Elysian sources, who insisted on the “warm” nature of the exchange. But will relations between the two leaders be as contrasted as during the first term?
Ambiguous personal relationships
Emmanuel Macron will therefore meet an old acquaintance at the White House. We remember the seduction operations and other manly handshakes during the first meetings between the two men. “Between Emmanuel Macron and Donald Trump, there were ups and downs. Trump was someone who, to the rhythm of his tweets and his mood, blew hot and cold, depending on his own mood or the problems he faced,” summarized Philippe Etienne, former ambassador, on RMC this Wednesday. of France in the United States and diplomatic advisor to the French president between 2017 and 2019.
If the relationship was never broken, it quickly deteriorated between the two leaders. Donald Trump's mockery and murderous tweets actually hid real differences on the diplomatic level: from the withdrawal of the United States from the Paris Climate Agreement, to bickering over NATO, including French diplomatic failures on Iranian nuclear power, American taxes on steel and aluminum, or the recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of the State of Israel by Washington. A result considered disappointing on the French side.
Customs duties in question
“The United States are our allies and will remain so,” Maud Bregeon recalled this Wednesday. “The French president will have a demanding relationship with President Trump,” continued the government spokesperson at the end of the Council of Ministers, evoking “different visions on a number of subjects but the habit of working together”. The American president's entourage also insisted on Wednesday evening on the “warm” nature of the telephone interview, in the name of the relationship established in 2017. Simple element of communication?
Because the American campaign showed that tensions were still palpable across the Atlantic when we talk about relations with France. Donald Trump has mocked Emmanuel Macron several times in meetings, not hesitating to imitate the president and his french accent to make fun of having made him bend by threatening to tax wine and champagne during his first mandate. The champion of “American first” has also made no secret of his desire to once again tighten customs duties to encourage companies to relocate their production to the United States. This issue, which will be one of the hot spots on the European side with the war in Ukraine, could further refresh bilateral relations.
A weakened French president
It is therefore not surprising to see Emmanuel Macron very quickly announce this Wednesday that he had “exchanged” with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz. “We will work for a more united, stronger, more sovereign Europe in this new context,” he said on the social network Old continent will succeed in agreeing to find common positions against the United States of Donald Trump.
If he intends to exert diplomatic influence, the tenant of the Elysée is today much weaker than during his first mandate. On the European scene, as on the national level: “Macron is not able to be taken seriously bilaterally” since his failed dissolution of the National Assembly, since “we do not know who will govern France in three weeks, three months or three years,” summarizes François Heisbourg, of the Foundation for Strategic Research, to AFP. Conversely, Donald Trump will arrive in January at the White House with an overwhelming success over his rival Kamala Harris.
