"Hello to your wife": Emmanuel Macron and Donald Trump display their complicity at the White House

Jokes, energetic handshakes, small compliments and gestures of affection: Donald Trump and Emmanuel Macron replayed this Monday, February 24 in Washington a duet of diplomatic camaraderie already honed during the Republican's first term.

In the Oval Office, the billionaire, former reality TV host, recounts how, after a dinner at the Eiffel Tower with their respective wives, the French president had undertaken to respond, in French, to journalists.

"There was no interpreter, and he was talking and talking and I was just nodding," Trump said. "The next day, I read the papers and I realized, 'That's not what we said.' He's a smart guy, I'm telling you," the American president said, grabbing the forearm of his counterpart, who was sitting next to him, to laughter from the audience. He had already called him, shortly before, a "very special man."

Emmanuel Macron spoke of a "very friendly, as always" welcome from the Republican billionaire, who since his return to power has not stopped criticizing Europeans for their military spending deemed insufficient , and their taxes deemed unfair.

When the French president arrived, the two men exchanged one of those very vigorous handshakes, close to arm wrestling, which regularly delight photographers during their meetings.

Having come to Washington to try to iron out the immense differences with Donald Trump on Ukraine in particular, and on the transatlantic relationship in general, Emmanuel Macron nevertheless publicly reprimands his host when Donald Trump, in front of him, downplays European participation in the aid provided to Ukraine.

"No, actually, to be frank, we paid, we paid 60% of the total effort," intervened the French president, placing his hand on Donald Trump's forearm.

"The United States and France are always on the right side, that is what is at stake today," said the French president more seriously, while Donald Trump went so far as to make Ukraine responsible for the Russian invasion, and initiated a spectacular rapprochement with Moscow .

He also welcomes a project dear to Donald Trump, that of ensuring American access to Ukrainian minerals, to compensate for the expenses incurred by Washington to support kyiv since February 24, 2022.

"The strength of American re-engagement is the uncertainty for President Putin," adds Emmanuel Macron, who has understood that Donald Trump sees diplomatic relations as a business negotiation, to be conducted with great fanfare and brutality if necessary. He praises the United States' "deterrence capacity" and lets his host pose as a peacemaker.

When the French president answers a question in his own language, his counterpart, who does not speak French, says: "I have no idea what he is saying but it is the most beautiful language", while placing his hand on Emmanuel Macron's knee.

"We visited the President and the First Lady in France recently. It was a beautiful day, we won't soon forget it, we have very fond memories of it," Donald Trump said at the start of the press conference.

"Thank you Emmanuel for welcoming us to Paris in December to see the reopening of Notre-Dame. It was very sad when the fire happened," he said, calling the reopening "a tremendous accomplishment."

Then, a few minutes later, Donald Trump praised "an excellent job" with Emmanuel Macron. "It was a pleasure spending time with you and hello to your wife. We will see each other again very soon," Donald Trump concluded later in the day during the press conference. The two presidents then greeted each other at length.

The relationship between the two men, which has never turned openly sour like that of the American president with other leaders such as Canada's Justin Trudeau, has nevertheless had its ups and downs during the Republican's first term.

There was talk of a "bromance" - a contraction of the English words "brother" and "romance" - but the French head of state had also openly criticized the Republican leader's "America First" diplomatic approach, calling on Europeans to unite in response.

Emmanuel Macron, invited to the White House in 2018 for a state dinner in great pomp, had offered a shrub , which he then planted with Donald Trump on the lawn of the White House.

But the tree, taken from a forest where many American soldiers had died during World War I, did not survive the transplant.