Forget America First... this is America Alone for Trump
His tweet showed his increasingly worrying ignorance as he badly misconstrued what the French leader had actually said.
Macron had in fact called on Europe to build an army so as not to rely so heavily on America (as Trump demands) and to create better EU wide cybersecurity defence.
What should have been a serious show of worldwide solidarity and a reaffirmation of transatlantic alliances instead became, once again, an example of America’s tarnished reputation abroad.
But not content with the offence caused, Trump’s petulance saw what should have been an opportunity to demonstrate unity descend further into chaos.
First, there was Trump’s sudden decision not to visit the American cemetery at nearby Belleau Wood, where, in one of the most horrific battles, 1,800 of his countrymen lost their lives.
The White House blamed his absence on a terrible, but it turned out non-existent, storm.
As the criticism of his absence took hold, Trump grimaced his way through lunches seemingly enraged he was neither valued nor the centre of attention among the more than 60 world leaders.
It was at complete odds to the boast he made before leaving for Paris when he claimed so many were attending because he was going.
But the icing on the cake was Trump’s arrival at the Sunday ceremony at the Arc de Triomphe in his mini-motorcade, separated from the other heads of state who marched, arm-in-arm up the Champs-Elysées.
Only his pal, Vladimir Putin, arrived alone too.
It saw Trump missing from one of the weekend’s most powerful images – a line of world leaders, walking shoulder-to-shoulder in a sombre, rain-soaked procession.
But Trump’s indignation went off the scale as Marcon then lectured on the dangers of nationalist isolation. As Trump sulked off back to the White House, the French President tweeted a photograph of himself and the German leader, Angela Merkel, with a single word caption: “Unis” (United).
On his return to Washington, the deluded President tweeted that “much was accomplished” in his meetings, before voicing a familiar complaint about America’s allies and launching another attack on his French counterpart.
“Emmanuel Macron suggests building its own army to protect Europe against the U.S., China and Russia,” he tweeted on Tuesday.
“But it was Germany in World Wars One & Two – How did that work out for France? They were starting to learn German in Paris before the US came along.” Incredible.
His trip to France made clear that nearly two years after taking office, Trump has dramatically upended decades of American foreign policy posture, shaking its allies to the core.
The President, who ran on an “America First” platform, has jarred European allies with his actions.
He has pulled the US out of the landmark Paris Climate Accord, slapped tariffs on the European Union and suggested he might be willing to pull America out of NATO if member counties don’t significantly boost their defence spending.
All this while launching verbal attacks on America’s allies as he toadies up to Putin despite Moscow’s meddling in the US election.
Trump has frequently branded himself a “nationalist,” as he repeatedly screams America First.
Increasingly, however, the rest of the world sees it as America Alone.