Bromance blooms as Trump woos Macron
UNITED STATES: There was hand-holding. There were bear hugs. There were pats on the shoulder and kisses on both cheeks. If physical intimacy is any sign of diplomatic closeness, Donald Trump and Emmanuel Macron are in the full throes of a political bromance.
The new relation speciale between France and America was on full display on the second day of Macron’s state visit to Washington yesterday.
‘‘Mr President, they’re all saying what a great relationship we have, and they’re actually correct,’’ Trump told Macron as the cameras rolled. ‘‘Finally, it’s not fake news.’’
There were multiple joinings of hands and waving to the cameras – occasionally with the presidents’ wives, always with smiles.
The ceremonies begun with a ‘‘review of the troops’’ as 500 US soldiers gathered to be inspected by Macron, echoing a similar honour bestowed on Trump during his Paris visit last year.
Speaking from a podium, Macron told those watching: ‘‘Long live the United States, long live France.’’ Trump praised France as America’s ‘‘oldest ally’’ throughout the day.
From there, the two men went to the Oval Office for one-on-one talks, with cabinet members and senior aides joining afterwards for wider discussions.
The pair did not disguise their policy differences but made much of their ‘‘special’’ friendship, not holding back on the flattery.
‘‘We have a very special relationship – in fact, I’ll get that little piece of dandruff off,’’ Trump joked at one point, brushing Macron’s shoulder. ‘‘We have to make him perfect, he is perfect.’’
A joint press conference followed, with the men’s wives – Melania Trump dressed all in white – watching from the front row. A fluent French speaker from her modelling days in Paris, Melania Trump was one of the few not wearing a translator headset.
After the opening statements, the pair slapped hands again and embraced, with Trump adding after laughter from the audience: ‘‘I like him a lot.’’
Further evidence of the new USFrance ‘‘special relationship’’ – a phrase once reserved for Britain’s American alliance – was found in the menu for yesterday’s state dinner, which was described as ‘‘a showcase of the best of America’s cuisines and traditions, with nuances of French influences’’.
Even the wine – made with French vines from Dijon planted in volcanic soil in Oregon – was selected to ‘‘embody the historic friendship between the United States and France, which dates back to the American Revolution’’, a White House official said.