Macron embraces Trump and elegantly knifes him in the back
But now Emmanuel Macron, the president of France, has tried something more complicated. Apparently on a whim he didnt believe the invitation would be accepted he invited the president and first lady last year to a lavish celebration of Bastille Day. Now he has been rewarded with a full state dinner, plus lots of other honors, including more hand-holding, even laughing off a classic Trump dominance gesture: an attempt to brush dandruff off his suit. Yet instead of following this obsequious behavior with an obsequious request, Macron made a speech using lots of flattering language and lavish references to American history directly attacking the worldview of Trump.
He called for greater efforts on climate change because there is no planet B as well as a more effective, accountable, and results-oriented multilateralism. He wasnt even subtle in his attack on Trumps backward-looking nostalgia and xenophobic language: We can choose isolationism, withdrawal and nationalism . . . but that will only inflame the fears of our citizens. And, of course, he supported the Iran deal, which Trump has railed against as recently as this week.
This combination flattery plus direct talk hasnt yet been tried on Trump. The friendly gestures will appeal to his narcissism; there is a slim chance very, very slim that it might even get him to change his mind about some things. There is a greater risk that the clear opposition, even cloaked in elaborate references to Lincoln and both Roosevelts, might irk him.
But the most likely result is that the American president wont pay attention to what Macron was trying to say indeed, that he wont even understand that he has been so openly challenged. And that may have been the point, for Macrons speech will be perfectly understood in France, in Europe, and even in the United States (at least outside the White House). It thus preserves the French presidents dignity in the face of the dandruff incident.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/global-opinions/wp/2018/04/25/macron-embraces-trump-and-elegantly-knifes-him-in-the-back/?utm_term=.615250db2e91