President Trump arrived in France on Monday for the Group of Seven summit and quickly sought to dispel talk of tension with French President Emmanuel Macron, who is hosting the gathering of leaders from the world’s largest economies.
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“Emmanuel has been a special friend of mine,” Mr. Trump told reporters at a meeting with his French counterpart. “We’ve had a fantastic relationship, we’ve worked on many deals together.”
In the recent past, Mr. Macron openly traded barbs with Mr. Trump over the Iran war after the U.S. president criticized him for not helping patrol the Strait of Hormuz. On Monday, Mr. Macron heaped praise on Mr. Trump for finalizing a peace deal to end the roughly six-month conflict.
Saying he wanted to “commend” Mr. Trump for the peace deal, Mr. Macron hailed the agreement as “a very important step for peace.”
“It’s a very important [deal] because first, it will fix the nuclear issue and it’s a very important item for peace for the whole world,” he said.
The two men had a better relationship earlier in their respective first terms, when Mr. Trump was a brash real estate mogul and reality TV star just elected and Mr. Macron pulled off a landslide victory in the French election.
That relationship soured in Mr. Trump’s second term over numerous issues, including the Iran war, the steep tariffs the U.S. has placed on French goods and Mr. Macron’s fierce advocating for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
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In April, Mr. Trump said that Mr. Macron’s wife “treats him very badly.” He also said of Mr. Macron, “Nobody wants him because he’ll be out of office soon.”
Mr. Macron has fired back, publicly rebuking the White House’s handling of the Iran conflict, accusing Mr. Trump of repeatedly contradicting himself and sending mixed messages about negotiations.
He also called some of the insults directed at him by Mr. Trump – including mocking his French accent and comments about his marriage – “neither elegant nor up to standard.”
Nevertheless, Mr. Macron has clearly tailored the G7 meeting to Mr. Trump’s favor. The summit was pushed back a day so Mr. Trump could attend a UFC fight at the White House on Sunday.
The two leaders will also dine together at the Palace of Versailles after meeting for the G7.
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