Macron the American – L’Express

The program is loaded. As an appetizer, Fox News airs an interview with Macron (Sunday). Then Macron, Trump and their wives dine at Mount Vernon, the mansion of the first American president, George Washington (Monday, day of arrival in the United States). Another sequence: Macron gives a speech to the elected members of Congress (Wednesday). Meanwhile, he goes to the military cemetery of Arlington, to bow before the tomb of the Unknown Soldier (Tuesday). Macron also goes to George-Washington University to debate with students. In short, Macron is everywhere, including in the columns of the Californian cultural magazine Wired, to which he gave, a few weeks ago, a luminous interview, and in English, on artificial intelligence. In short, for the first state visit of a foreign leader organized under the presidency of Trump, the Frenchy intends to project an image of dynamism and closeness to the United States rarely seen since 1974 and the famous photo of Gerald Ford and Valéry Giscard d’Estaing in swimsuits at the edge of a swimming pool.

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Vis-à-vis Donald Trump as America, Emmanuel Macron wants to succeed in his seduction operation. It starts with an asset: the French president pleases his counterpart. Until the day when… he doesn’t like him anymore! “Trump gets tired of people quickly,” says Chris Whipple, journalist and writer. Beyond the tenant of the White House, however, Emmanuel Macron already seems to have achieved the feat of seducing American elected officials on both sides. For the Democrats, the French president plays a role of safeguard and contains the most unexpected ardor of their intimate enemy – as did, on an anecdotal level, during a memorable handshake. For the Republicans, Macron is the only European leader who has established peaceful relations with the unpredictable Trump.

“Paris is considered our best ally”

“This presidential tandem is reminiscent of that of Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher, believes Jacob Heilbrunn, director of The National Interest, a geopolitical review of the conservative right. In the inner circle of the White House, some argue that Macron has managed to insinuate himself into Trump’s mind and that he could have the influence on him that the “Iron Lady” had on Reagan. If true, that’s good news, because Donald Trump doesn’t listen to anyone – especially not Angela Merkel, whom he despises, or British Prime Minister Theresa May, whom he dislikes. If he listens to Macron, he may come to understand that NATO and our relationship with Europe are essential, at a time when Russia is playing an increasingly pernicious role.”

Across the Atlantic, the image of France has rarely been better than today: “Since the Iraq war, Heilbrunn continues, with a smirk, the French were in our eyes capitulators eating camembert. With the raid of the Western coalition, on April 14, against sites linked to Bashar el-Assad’s chemical program, everything changed. Paris is considered our best ally, especially since the Germans refuse to participate in this type of operation. ” While the British have their heads elsewhere, as Brexit approaches, the presence of French troops in the Sahel and the Sahara, where they are taking part in the fight against radical Islamism, with the logistical support of the United States, contributes to harmonious relationships. At the Pentagon, these days, the French soldiers are treated with respect.

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During the press conference following the raids in Syria, United States Army Chief of Staff Joseph Dunford stood immediately to the left of Secretary of Defense James Mattis, while military attaché French in Washington, General Jean-Pierre Montégu, was on his right. Their British counterpart was a step further. Some saw it as a sign. In a world where every word is carefully weighed, others have noted that the Secretary of Defense has taken to saying “France and the United Kingdom”. In that order.

The “expats” fans of this pro-business president

“Our British friends were the first to note, and to report to us, that France was popular in the White House and at the Pentagon, confides a French diplomat. As theoretically privileged allies of Washington, they kinda bad.”

The Franco-American honeymoon does not end there. “In the business world, being French now favorably predisposes our interlocutors”, notes, in Washington, Bertrand Badré, former director general of the World Bank (2013-2016) and founder of the investment fund Blue like an Orange Sustainable Capital. . “Two years ago, French expatriates almost always felt embarrassed when talking about our country, plagued by pessimism and by the progress of the Le Pen vote. Today, it’s the opposite. Americans tell us: “Oh my God ! We are so embarrassed… and you’re so lucky” (“My God! We are so embarrassed… and you are so lucky”) in reference to the two presidents. The reversal is sensitive”, concludes the man business, including the recent book, in English, Can Finance Save the World? (“Can finance save the world?”), is prefaced by a certain Emmanuel Macron.

The “expats” in the United States voted Macron 52% in the first round of the presidential election, and 95% in the second. In fact, they identify with this “French Kennedy”, reformer, pro-business, lover of Silicon Valley innovations. But the affinities are not limited to questions of image. Because the French president knows the United States much more than we imagine.

Find the 2nd and last part of our report in the United States, where you will discover that Emmanuel Macron’s American tropism is old, and dates back to his years of study…

Axel Gylden