FROM FOX NEWS:
In private conversations with European counterparts early in Trump’s first term, Macron reportedly boasted that he could “handle” the American president — flatter him, reason with him and keep him inside the Western fold. For a time, it worked: Trump was treated to a red-carpet Bastille Day parade in Paris and called the young French leader a “great friend.” But the relationship soon turned into a running spectacle. The two leaders’ chemistry has always mixed cooperation with rivalry.
Macron’s sparring with Trump is more than personality — it’s projection. Each clash, phone call or quip feeds a larger mission: to show that Europe can act like a power again. As Trump reasserts “America First,” Macron is trying to define what “Europe First” might look like — an alliance that can stand up to Washington, Moscow or Beijing without flinching.
“Macron has always seen himself in the European context as the leader of European defense efforts,” said Liana Fix, senior fellow for Europe at the Council on Foreign Relations.
According to Fix, Macron has made moves that appear to be “designed to remind Trump that America no longer dictates every script.”
They seem to agree, however, that Europe must invest in it’s own defense.
“Years ago, Macron proposed the idea that Europe should become more independent from the United States,” Fix said. “Now, with the election of Donald Trump, the reaction of many Europeans was — perhaps Macron was right.”
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