Macron to Trump: France is an ally of America, not a vassal state

Emmanuel Macron, the President of France, stated that old allies like France and the United States should treat each other with respect, emphasizing that France is an ally of America and not a vassal state, one day after controversial tweets from Donald Trump criticizing him. Trump, the President of the United States, criticized the long-time ally for losing two World Wars to Germany, the French wine industry, and Macron's low popularity in five tweets published on Tuesday after returning from France. Macron, whose office had previously refrained from responding, said on Wednesday, November 14, referring to France's support for the American War of Independence and America's support in both World Wars, "At every moment in our history, we have been allies, so there should be respect between allies." According to Reuters, in an interview with France's first television channel aboard the French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle, he said, "I don't think the French expect me to respond to those tweets, but Trump's audience is the people inside America." Macron added, "I think he is looking for political play, so let him focus on that." When asked about his proposal for a European army, which Trump criticized, he said, "The United States is our historical ally, and this alliance will continue. We take risks in this alliance and conduct very complex operations. But being allies does not mean being a vassal state." Hours before these remarks, a spokesman for the French government also reacted strongly to Trump's criticisms, stating that the publication of critical messages from the American president on the same day that France was commemorating the victims of the 2015 terrorist attacks showed a lack of "grace" on Trump's part. According to the Associated Press, Benjamin Griveaux said, "We were commemorating 130 of our compatriots who were killed in Paris and Saint-Denis in 2015. I will respond in English: showing grace would have been a more appropriate response." The spokesman added that Emmanuel Macron stated in a cabinet meeting on Wednesday, "Diplomacy is not sending messages on Twitter, but rather bilateral discussions." The presidents of the two countries met on Saturday before the commemoration of the end of World War I in Paris. Since Emmanuel Macron's election last year and their first meeting at the NATO summit, the relationship between the presidents of the United States and France has seen many ups and downs. One of Trump's messages on Tuesday, in which he wrote, "Make France great again," stirred national sentiments among French social media users. Many users reminded of France's victory in this year's World Cup, which marked their second championship in twenty years. Benjamin Mendy, a member of the French national team, added two stars representing World Cup victories in response to Trump, writing, "Bro, don't worry." Kevin Mayer, a French decathlon champion, also shared a photo of breaking the world record previously held by American athlete Ashton Eaton, writing, "Dear Trump, work is in progress."