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From the start, Emmanuel Macron believed he could manage Donald Trump.
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.
TRUMP’S SWIPE AT ‘WEAK’ LEADERS HIGHLIGHTS THE SHIFTING GLOBAL INFLUENCE OF WESTERN NATIONS
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.
While the U.S. plans to boycott the 2025 G-20 leaders’ summit because South Africa is hosting, Macron is visiting Johannesburg — a sign of his willingness to go where Washington won’t.
Earlier in the week, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Macron signed a deal for Kyiv to buy 100 French Rafale jets instead of U.S.-made fighters, a move that underscored France’s push for European defense autonomy and sidelined American manufacturers at a politically sensitive moment.
"Zelenskyy slaps the face of a nation that saved him," said former Rep. Mike Garcia, a U.S. Navy fighter pilot. "After receiving nearly $180 billion in American aid, including free aircraft, Zelenskyy turns to others when it’s time for Ukraine to actually pay for weapons systems."
Before that, Macron recognized a Palestinian state at the United Nations General Assembly over U.S. objections, prompting Trump to accuse him of "honoring Hamas."
"As if to encourage continued conflict, some of this body is seeking to unilaterally recognize a Palestinian state," Trump said during his U.N. General Assembly address.
And in June, Macron visited Greenland in a show of European unity — a symbolic warning to Trump to step back from his long-voiced ambitions to control the island.
Trump repeatedly has floated the prospect of purchasing Greenland from Denmark, drawn by its wealth of oil and minerals locked deep below ice and Arctic defense positioning.
"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. Each move, she said, asserts Europe’s autonomy and "at times seems designed to remind Trump that America no longer dictates every script."
Still, the two leaders agree on one key point: Europe must shoulder more of its 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."
Their rapport swings between camaraderie and confrontation.
"I want to be able to get along with the world — not the French, though," Trump told Fox News’ Laura Ingraham Nov. 10.
"The Chinese, they spy on us, they steal our intellectual property," Ingraham replied.
"Do you think the French are better?"
"Yeah," she said.
"I’m not so sure," Trump shot back, citing French tariffs.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt was asked about the Trump–Macron relationship Thursday.
"The relationship remains very strong," she said at a White House press briefing. "President Trump speaks quite frequently with Emmanuel Macron. I think they have a good working relationship. But the president is not shy to point out when he has disagreements with world leaders as well. And he's done that with respect to Mr. Macron."
At September’s U.N. General Assembly, Macron phoned Trump from the sidewalk to complain that the president’s motorcade was causing a traffic jam.
"Guess what, I’m waiting in the street because everything is frozen for you," Macron said in a moment caught on video.
France’s embassy in Washington joined the fun on X, posting: "It’s a good thing our presidents have each other on speed dial… If you’ve ever had to walk through NYC during UNGA, this is 110% relatable content."
FRANCE SAYS UN RECOGNITION OF PALESTINIAN STATE IS A BLOW TO HAMAS NOT A GIFT
With Germany distracted by domestic politics and Britain outside the European Union, Macron has seized the space to lead. He casts France not just as a nation but as Europe’s voice of resolve, urging the continent to "think for itself" and invest in its own defense.
"Macron sees himself as the leader of Europe’s defense efforts," Fix said. "He’s been consistent about wanting Europeans to buy less off the shelf from the United States and invest more in their own defense industry."
But that vision runs into Europe’s limits. Fix noted that Germany is on track to surpass France in defense spending, projected to reach 162 billion euros by 2029 — levels France "simply doesn’t have the financial flexibility to match." Even within the EU, she said, leadership is more collective than Macron sometimes portrays.
"It’s a shared effort. Macron sees himself as one among many — but the most important among many."
At home, his authority is under strain. Fix said Macron’s "leadership ambition in Europe and with the United States is undermined by domestic instability," pointing to his struggles to form a government and his party’s poor outlook in upcoming elections. That political weakness "inevitably weakens his hand abroad."
Still, Macron remains one of the few European leaders willing to trade punches — and pleasantries — with Trump in full view of the world.
"It’s a difficult line for all European leaders," Fix said. "They have to charm Trump to fulfill Europe’s security needs, even though the Trump administration is hugely unpopular at home. They have to swallow some bitter pills."
For Macron, that line between charm and challenge has become the essence of leadership — and the stage on which he’s chosen to stand.
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