WASHINGTON (Sputnik): In December, Trump took to Twitter to scold Macron for the his joint European army proposal, which aimed to give the continent greater military autonomy. The POTUS recalled that many European members of NATO weren’t following the bloc’s defence spending guidelines.
The past several months have seen US President Donald Trump hold tense talks UK Prime Minister Theresa May, and French President Emmanuel Macron, who “felt trolled by Trump over the state of the French economy”, The New York Times cited sources familiar with the talks as saying.
The sources also mentioned German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who allegedly does not perceive Trump to be “a serious person to talk with”.
“His get-tough, tariff-driven approach to bringing China to heel has had mixed results at best, hurting some American industries and sending markets plunging,” the sources claimed.
Moreover, the New York Times referred to Trump’s trade talks-related tactics of intimidation, which he employed even against Washington’s “strongest allies”, including Canada, Mexico, Britain, France and Germany. In addition, Trump demanded political loyalty from Republican congressmen, driving “several who bucked him from office”, including Senators Bob Corker and Jeff Flake.
“But as his presidency enters its third year, a less convenient truth is emerging: Few outside the Republican Party are afraid of him, and they may be less intimidated after the disastrous government shutdown,” the newspaper points out.
The remarks come after Trump berated Macron in early December for his proposal to create a joint European army.
“The idea of a European Military didn’t work out too well in WWI or WWII. But the US was there for you, and always will be. All we ask is that you pay your fair share of NATO,” Trump wrote in a tweet.
This echoed his previous criticism of Macron’s proposed military reforms. The US president mocked France’s WW2 record in mid-November, saying that Parisians were “starting to learn German in Paris before G.I. emerged in the European theatre.”
Earlier, Macron said that the European Union should have a “real European army” independent of the United States and NATO to be able to defend itself, an idea that was supported by German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
