In state visit, Emmanuel Macron highlights differences on climate, trade and Iran

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President Donald Trump says North Korea wants to hold a high-stakes meeting “as soon as possible” and he is praising Kim Jong Un as “very open” and “very honorable.” (April 24)
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WASHINGTON — President Trump and his French counterpart vowed Tuesday to seek common ground in dealing with Iran — but the president made no commitment to stick with the contentious nuclear agreement that he described as “insane” earlier in the day.

Receiving French President Emmanuel Macron for a state visit at the White House, Trump repeated his criticism of the agreement that froze Iran’s nuclear program, saying it didn’t address Iran’s missile program or its attempts to foment unrest in the region. 

“If they restart their nuclear program, they will have bigger problems than they ever had before,” Trump said. “Mark it down.”

Still, he said, the U.S. and France were “beginning to understand each other” on the need to contain Iran.

Macron said the discussions were “very frank.”

“It’s not a mystery we did not have the same starting positions, stances, and neither you nor I have a habit of changing stances or going with the wind,” Macron told Trump during a press conference in the East Room .

The two leaders also said that containing Iran was the key to lasting peace in Syria. Trump has previously said he wants to bring U.S. troops home from Syria quickly but Macron has urged a longer timeline. 

“As far as Syria is concerned, I would love to get out. I would love to bring our brave warriors back home,” Trump told reporters Tuesday. “Emmanuel and myself have discussed that we don’t want to give Iran open season to the Mediterranean (Sea).”

Trump said he wanted to bring troops home “relatively soon” but said “we want to leave a strong and lasting footprint.”

Throughout a heavily photographed series of meetings, Trump and Macron showed off their close relationship though words and body language. Trump held Macron’s hands, showered him with compliments and even brushed what he said was a piece of dandruff off of Macron’s suit. 

“I like him a lot,” Trump said sheepishly after getting a kiss on the cheek from Macron.  

But even as they touted what Trump called “a very special relationship,” Macron hinted at the issues dividing the two countries: the Iran nuclear deal, the environment and trade.

“It is together that we will be able to act effectively for our planet,” Macron said in remarks at an opening ceremony. “I’m not just referring to climate, but also to the oceans, to biodiversity, and to all forms of pollutions. On this issue, we do not always agree as to the solutions, but in the end, such is the case in any family and in any friendship.”

Macron’s welcoming remarks were notably more specific than Trump’s, which focused on the long 241-year friendship between the two countries — and his personal friendship with Macron, who has emerged as Trump’s most trusted European ally over the past year.

More: President Trump after picking something off Macron’s suit: ‘We have to make him perfect’

“The wonderful friendship we have developed over the past year is a testimony to the historic friendship between our two nations,” Trump said. 

Trump and Macron met for a protocol-laden pomp of a formal state arrival ceremony on the south lawn of the White House Tuesday, as Trump welcomed his French counterpart for the first state visit of the Trump presidency. Following Trump’s visit to Paris for Bastille Day ceremonies last year, it’s the second one-on-one summit between the two leaders, not counting four other meetings at other summits.

Despite the close relationship the two leaders have cultivated, Macron’s visit has also underscored deep policy differences between Paris and Washington. Chief among those is the Iran nuclear agreement, which Trump has referred to as “the worst deal ever negotiated.”  

Trump must decide next month whether to restore economic sanctions on Iran, effectively withdrawing from the multi-nation deal. Macron and other European leaders have lobbied heavily for the U.S. to remain in the pact, and have questioned what President Trump is offering as an alternative. 

After meeting with Macron in the Oval Office, Trump said the two had more substantive talks on Iran than any other issue. “We’re fairly close to understanding each other. Our one on one went very well,” Trump said. 

Trump has criticized the agreement as “insane” and “ridiculous” because it did not deal with ballistic missiles or Iran’s involvement in Yemen and Syria.

Trade also features prominently on Macron’s agenda. The French president has openly criticized Trump’s protectionist moves in recent weeks and wants Washington to exempt European nations from U.S. steel and aluminum tariffs aimed mainly at China. 

In an interview with Fox News Sunday, Macron warned Trump not to levy tariffs on European steel and aluminum. “You cannot make a trade war with your ally,” he said. 

Macron began the three-day visit Monday with a less formal dinner at President George Washington’s estate at Mount Vernon. The two will have meetings Tuesday, followed by a joint news conference and state dinner, followed by Macron’s speech to a joint session of Congress Wednesday.

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