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Trump trolls Macron over approval ratings, unemployment, the Nazi occupation and wine

The Local/AFP
The Local/AFP - [email protected]
Trump trolls Macron over approval ratings, unemployment, the Nazi occupation and wine
Photo: AFP

US President Donald Trump on Tuesday launched a volley of sarcastic and angry tweets aimed at settling a few scores with French president Emmanuel Macron after his recent visit to Paris. Trump chided his French counterpart over his low approval ratings and France's "unfair" wine tariffs.

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Just two days after meeting Macron in Paris along with other world leaders Donald Trump ridiculed the French president for his low approval rating at home as well as France's high unemployment rate.

Trump also launched on attack on the French president over this call for a European army, a proposal the US leader earlier had dubbed "insulting."

Trump suggested Macron might have been trying to divert attention from his low popularity ratings and problems at home.

"The problem is that Emmanuel suffers from a very low Approval Rating in France, 26%, and an unemployment rate of almost 10%," Trump said.

"He was just trying to get onto another subject. By the way, there is no country more Nationalist than France, very proud people-and rightfully so!" He then tweeted: "MAKE FRANCE GREAT AGAIN" in capital letters.

Trump also blasted Emmanuel Macron over the French president's call for a European army, a proposal the US leader earlier had dubbed "insulting."

He sarcastically pointed to Germany's occupation of France during World War Two to suggest France will always need the US army "to do the work".

READ ALSO: Image of Donald Trump improves among French people

"Emmanuel Macron suggests building its own army to protect Europe against the US, China and Russia. But it was Germany in World Wars One & Two - How did that work out for France?" Trump tweeted. 

"They were starting to learn German in Paris before the US came along," Trump said. "Pay for NATO or not!"

Not long after rump had clicked the send button on his tweets German Chancellor Angela Merkel called for a "real and true" European army.

Trump also responded to the fierce criticism about his failure to turn up for the memorial service in northern France on Saturday to honour fallen American soldiers. The reason given at the time was "bad weather".

Trump claimed that there was "almost zero visibility" which grounded the helicopter and that he himself suggested driving, but was told it was impossible by secret services.

He criticized the media for not reporting his speech at an American cemetery on Sunday in the pouring rain.

On Monday the French army appeared to troll Trump by posting a picture of soldiers training in the rain. "It's raining, but it doesn't matter. We are still motivated," read the tweet.

 

In another tweet the American president also rebuked France for its high tariffs on wine imported from the US.

Emmanuel Macron's office said Tuesday that it would not comment on a flurry of angry tweets from US President Donald Trump 
about his French counterpart.

"We are not making any comment," the presidency said.

The Republican president has repeatedly lambasted European allies for not spending enough on their militaries, particularly Germany.

Macron had angered Trump by saying Europe needed its own army and listing the US along with Russia and China as a threat to European security.

One of dozens of world leaders attending World War I commemorations in France this weekend, Trump tweeted after landing in Paris that Macron's call for a "real European army" was "insulting."

In an interview recorded on Saturday with CNN after talks with Trump, Macron said the two leaders had spoken about what his office has portrayed as a misunderstanding.

READ ALSO: Macron's attack on Trump's nationalism was welcome buy mat prove unwise

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Both leaders agree there should be "better burden-sharing within NATO," meaning Europe should be less reliant on US spending for its defense, Macron said.

But Macron told CNN: "To be very direct with you, what I don't want to see is European countries increasing the budget in defense in order to buy American and other arms or materials coming from your industry."

US officials have stressed that Washington is fully committed to the NATO alliance despite Trump's comments.

NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg meanwhile has welcomed stronger EU efforts on defense that could strengthen the alliance -- but warned against duplicating its work while potentially undermining transatlantic ties.

 

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Anonymous 2018/11/14 07:47
Just ignore what this nitwit says. Most of the Americans that voted for him don't come to France because it's scary going to a country that speaks a funny language.
Anonymous 2018/11/13 23:16
I don't particularly love Trump. But let's not forget that the majority of the American people voted for him. And these American people love coming to France for their holidays, and they spend their dollars here....
Anonymous 2018/11/13 23:01
I voted for a third-party candidate as I can't stand the disgusting, ugly, lying scumbag. Trump eats lousy food and doesn't drink wine so how does he know that US wine is as good as French wine? He should read some history books about WW 1 and 2 and perhaps he would have a more nuanced attitude to what happened in Paris after the Germans arrived in 1940. Furthermore there was an active French resistance against the Germans. How dare he criticize the French that paid a terrible price for both wars. The US arrived late to the party and in comparison lost much fewer lives. Has trump ever seen the French gratitude to the US for helping to liberate the French? Trump claims he is a self made man - but started with a $200 M check from daddy. Then spent all the money on lousy deals. Afterwards his family bailed him out. He managed to avoid serving in Vietnam by blaming a bone spur.
Anonymous 2018/11/13 21:25
When will the citizens, including the politicians, of the USA, remove this narcissistic, deluded, and downright dangerous man from the highest office in the free world.<br />Trump is mentally deranged and should be sectioned.

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