Apr 25, 2018 - Energy & Environment

Macron to Congress: U.S. must step up on world stage

Emmanuel Macron holds both palms upwards.

Emmanuel Macron speaks before Congress. Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

French President Emmanuel Macron issued an implicit condemnation of President Trump's "America First" outlook to a joint meeting of Congress on Wednesday: "We can choose isolation, withdrawal, and nationalism … But closing the door to the world will not stop the evolution of the world.” He added later, "The United States is the one who invented this multilateralism. You are the one now who has to preserve and reinvent it."

The big picture: Though President Trump and Macron projected a jovial friendship during their time together in Washington this week, Macron came prepared to change Trump's isolationist mind on key global agreements, like the Paris climate agreement and Iran nuclear deal.

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