A split between the U.S. and two powerful European allies grew deeper Tuesday as German Chancellor Angela Merkel endorsed the creation of a ‘true European army’ as President Trump railed against President Emmanuel Macron for comments the French leader made about nationalism.
Trump derided Macron’s proposed ‘European army’ in tweets just prior to Merkel’s speech, –bringing up German military aggression in World War I and World War II as he accused the French president of turning on him to boost his own popularity ratings.
The dispute among friends boiled over into a full-blown diplomatic conflict, with Trump venting about the tax treatment of American-made versus French wine and complaining about the the existing NATO alliance.
‘Emmanuel Macron suggests building its own army to protect Europe against the U.S., China and Russia. But it was Germany in World Wars One & Two – How did that work out for France?’ he asked. ‘They were starting to learn German in Paris before the U.S. came along. Pay for NATO or not!’
A wedge between the United States, France and Germany was jammed deeper on Tuesday as Angela Merkel endorsed the creation of a ‘true European army’ and Donald Trump railed against Emmanuel Macron for comments the French leader made about nationalism.
Trump derided key U.S. allies after returning to the United States from Paris, where he joined Macron, Merkel and other world leaders for a ceremony marking the centennial of the armistice that ended World War I.
He said they were ‘starting to learn German in Paris’ during the Nazi occupation in the Second World War ‘before the U.S. came along’ and saved the day.
‘The problem is that Emmanuel suffers from a very low Approval Rating in France, 26%, and an unemployment rate of almost 10%. He was just trying to get onto another subject,’ Trump said in the stunning appraisal of the leader he had praised as a friend three days prior.
‘By the way, there is no country more Nationalist than France, very proud people-and rightfully so!’ he said in a rage on Twitter. ‘MAKE FRANCE GREAT AGAIN!’
Trump’s flag-waving history lesson followed Macron’s rebuke of Trump’s ‘America First’ nationalist ideology, saying in a speech that patriotism ‘is the exact opposite of nationalism’ and warning that its rise could lead to a return of blood-soaked European conflicts of the past.
President Donald Trump railed Emmanuel Macron for proposing a ‘European army’ – bringing up Germany military aggression in World War I and World War II – and accused the liberal leader of turning on him to boost his popularity in France as a fight between two friends boiled over into an international conflict
Macron delivered the remarks in his native tongue as Donald and Melania Trump, who speaks French, sat front and center below the Arc de Triomphe for the history lesson at the event in Paris commemorating the end of the war that saw the United States fighting against Germany alongside France.
Trump said later, in remarks at a cemetery, that he and Melania had been beautifully and graciously received in France by the Macrons.
He’d had a terse meeting with Macron the day before at the French’s president’s official residence about the United States’ financial contribution to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.
Trump said that if France wants a stronger Europe, it and other countries should pay more into the existing defense group, but he’s willing to work with Macron on the best way to do that. Macron said he’s in full agreement with the president on cost-sharing but wants to ensure that France’s protection goes beyond the umbrella of the transnational organization.
The president accused the French president of trying to change the subject
Trump called to ‘make France great again’ in the midst of his Twitter attack
Trump returned to the decision, for which he was skewered in the media, of failing to attend a visit to a U.S. military cemetery on his first full day in Paris. He says he ‘suggested’ driving after Marine One ‘couldn’t fly’ due to a bad weather call, but was turned down by the Secret Service
Trump, who does not drink, brought up the issue of tariffs on U.S.-made wine
The peace among allies was short-lived. By Monday morning, Trump was complaining about Europe’s lackluster contributions to NATO again.
He left no wound unsalted as he lashed out against Macron on Tuesday on Twitter again for saying that Europe needs to build up an army to serve as a check potential military threats from other world powers, including the United States.
‘Emmanuel Macron suggests building its own army to protect Europe against the U.S., China and Russia,’ Trump wrote. ‘But it was Germany in World Wars One & Two – How did that work out for France?’ the president asked. ‘They were starting to learn German in Paris before the U.S. came along. Pay for NATO or not!’
Trump went dark for an hour and then returned to the subject, blasting France for import laws that he claimed are unnecessarily burdensome on American wine producers.
‘On Trade, France makes excellent wine, but so does the U.S. The problem is that France makes it very hard for the U.S. to sell its wines into France, and charges big Tariffs, whereas the U.S. makes it easy for French wines, and charges very small Tariffs. Not fair, must change!’ he said.
Trump’s attack on the French followed a defiant speech from Macron in Paris on Sunday at an Armistice Day celebration.
Macron called nationalism a ‘betrayal of patriotism’ and warned against ‘old demons coming back to wreak chaos and death.’
‘Patriotism is the exact opposite of nationalism,’ declared Macron, who has defended the multinational organizations and cooperation that Trump often belittles and resists.
The president did not respond immediately to the remarks that were delivered in French. It was not until Tuesday that he rebuffed Macron for the speech that was largely interpreted as a shot across the bow at him.
Trump also returned to his familiar refrain that allies are not meeting their obligations to fund NATO’s military budget.
‘It is time that these very rich countries either pay the United States for its great military protection, or protect themselves,’ he vented in a Monday morning tweet.
Trump claimed then that ‘much was accomplished’ in his meetings in Paris.
But the U.S. pays billions ‘protecting other countries, and we get nothing but Trade Deficits and Losses,’ and it’s time for the abuse to end, he countered.
He was still fuming on Tuesday morning, when he invoked German military aggression from the last century.
His chief economy adviser, Larry Kudlow, declined to get in the middle of the dispute as he spoke to reporters at the White House. He said that he was not an expert on French and American wine imports and exports and would have to look into it.
On nationalism, he said the American president is simply looking after American interests.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel had traveled to Paris for the centennial of the armistice and stood between Trump and Macron for a somber ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier under the Arc de Triomphe.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel endorsed Macron’s call for a ‘true European army’ in a speech to EU ministers on Tuesday
She and Macron led a procession of foreign leaders that excluded Trump, who arrived separate in his own motorcade as a security precaution, down the Champs-Elysees in commemoration of the cessation of hostilities on the same day and time 100 years ago in Paris.
The day before she and Macron had walked hand-in-hand through Compiègne, the first of the battle sites to learn of the armistice in a display that was so moving an elderly woman attending the service thought Merkel was Mrs. Macron.
A visibly uncomfortable Trump twitched as Macron tried to put his hand on the visiting leader’s knee earlier in the day as they met at Elysee.
He had tweeted at the start of his trip that Macron’s proposal for a ‘real European army’ was ‘very insulting,’ considering France doesn’t currently pay its own way.
Macron said afterword that there had been a misunderstanding, but also told CNN: ‘To be very direct with you, what I don’t want to see is European countries increasing the budget in defense in order to buy American and other arms or materials coming from your industry.’
He made cutting remarks about the Twitter diplomacy that Trump had engaged, in as well, telling the network, ‘I always prefer having direct discussion or answering questions than making my diplomacy through tweets.’
After Trump’s rant on Tuesday, Merkel endorsed Macron’s call for a ‘true European army’ in a speech to EU ministers.
‘What is really important, if we look at the developments of the past year, is that we have to work on a vision of one day creating a real, true European army,’ she said.
Merkel said she envisioned the fighting force working NATO, yet said, ‘only a stronger Europe is going to defend Europe’ in the speech layering on to Macron’s warning to Trump.
‘Europe must take our fate into our own hands if we want to protect our community,’ she said.
Responding immediately to Trump’s tweet about Germany on Tuesday, the Council on Foreign Relations president said he was offering an opinion that is ‘offensive and uniformed’ about peacetime relations.
‘This tweet is offensive and uninformed. The former is obvious. RE latter, NATO is not about a pot of money that allies chip into but rather an alliance based on national effort and coordination that won the Cold War and is still needed to keep a peace serving US national interest ,’ Richard Haass said.