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US President Donald Trump on Tuesday launched an extraordinary attack on Emmanuel Macron, mocking the French president's popularity rating and targeting European defense proposals, following a stormy trip to Paris to mark the centenary of the First World War.
In a caustic series of early tweets, the US president hailed Macron's support for a European army, while reiterating his frequent accusations that NATO's European allies in NATO spend too little on defense.
"Emmanuel Macron suggests building his own army to protect Europe against the US, China and Russia.But it was Germany in the two world wars – how does that happen? is it for France? " Trump tweeted.
"They were starting to learn German in Paris before the arrival of the United States," said Trump. "Pay for NATO or not!"
The fierce opposition to a traditional American ally – for which Trump rolled out the red carpet in Washington earlier this year – came just two days after Trump joined dozens of world leaders in Paris for events marking the centenary of the end. of the war. The great war
After slamming Macron into defense, Trump's attacked his president status: "The problem is that Emmanuel is suffering from a very low rate of approval in France, 26%, and over $ 20,000. 39, an unemployment rate of almost 10% ".
"He was just trying to talk about another subject," said Trump, apparently evoking Macron's desire to create a European army. "By the way, there is no country more nationalistic than France, people very proud – and rightly so!"
"MAKE GREAT FRANCE AGAIN!" Mercurial Trump continued to play on his own campaign slogan, before turning to what he called protectionist tariffs on wine – which, he said, were "not fair, must change "
Macron's office declined to comment on Trump's side.
Trump and Macron seemed to have had a special fellowship at the beginning of their respective presidencies, a kind of "bromance" that included touch, kisses and playful jokes.
The US president even appeared to throw a piece of film on Macron's jacket on national television during the French president's official visit to the US capital, saying "we have to make it perfect, it's perfect."
But the relationship worsened after Macron provoked Trump's anger, saying Europe needed its own army and calling the United States, along with Russia and China, a threat to European cyber security.
Trump gave a combative tone to his visit to Paris, tweeted just after landing that Macron's call to a "real European army" was "insulting".
In a Saturday interview with CNN after talks with Trump, Macron said the two leaders discussed what his office described as a misunderstanding.
Both leaders agree that there should be "a better sharing of the burden within NATO", which means that Europe should rely less on US spending for his defense, said Macron.
Macron, however, told CNN: "To be very direct with you, what I do not want is for European countries to increase the defense budget in order to buy weapons or equipment from your sector, whether they are American or others ".
The president's visit to France was also clouded by the controversy surrounding the cancellation of the visit to a US military cemetery dating from the First World War, after his helicopter was immobilized by the rain, a decision that has been widely criticized.
"I suggested driving. The secret services answered NO," tweeted Trump in his defense, pointing out that he had delivered a speech the next day in another US cemetery in the Parisian suburbs "in a rainy day. beating! "
"Little reported – False News!" he charged.
© 2018 AFP
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