Following days of friendly handshakes and photo ops with President Trump during his state visit to the U.S., French President Emmanuel Macron shifted his tone during his address to a joint session of Congress Wednesday, taking jabs at Trump in four different areas.
Macron's focus: Trade wars, isolationism, the potential collapse of the Iran nuclear deal, and Trump's decision to exit the Paris climate accord.
- Trade wars: “Commercial war is not the proper answer. We need free and fair trade.”
- Isolationism: “We can choose isolation, withdrawal, and nationalism … But closing the door to the world will not stop the evolution of the world.”
- Iran deal: “There is an existing framework … to control the nuclear activity of Iran. We signed it at the initiative of the United States … That is why we cannot say we should get rid of it like that."
- Paris climate accord: Macron said he believes France can “work to fulfill, with you [Congress], the ambitions of the global compact.”
- Climate and science: “By polluting the oceans, not mitigating CO2 … we are killing our planet … Let us face it. There is no planet B.”
- Climate change: “I believe in building a better future for our children, which requires offering them a planet that is still habitable in 25 years."
The return to joviality: Macron closed his address on an upbeat note, with a nod to his bromance with Trump: "Vive notre amitié," he said, which roughly translates to "Long live our friendship."
