Advertisement

'There will be blood': French ambassador to US fires parting shots at Trump and Brexit

The Local France
The Local France - [email protected]
'There will be blood': French ambassador to US fires parting shots at Trump and Brexit
French Ambassador to the United states Gerard Araud (R) and his partner French artist photographer Pascal Blondeau . Photo: AFP

The departing French ambassador to the US has fired some outspoken parting shots at the Trump administration and Brexit saying "there will be blood on the walls and it will be British blood".

Advertisement

Gérard Araud, who told The Local once that Americans just think France is a country of "moaners and strikers", is leaving his post as French Ambassador to the US.

But just as he walks out the door Araud, who famously tweeted that "the world is collapsing before our eyes" when Donald Trump was elected, has issued a remarkable attack on the US president's administration and Brexit.

Araud told The Guardian newspaper: "When they say 'America first', it's America alone.

"Basically this president and this administration don't have allies, they don't have friends. It's really about bilateral relationships on the basis of the balance of power and the defence of narrow American interest," he said.

Araud also had some words of warning for the British government about the prospect of any future trade deal with the US.

The Trump administration "don't have any affection toward Europeans. They treat Europeans the way they treat the Chinese," Araud said.

"And when the British come for a free-trade agreement there will be blood on the walls and it will be British blood. It will be GMO's (Genetically Modified Organisms) for breakfast, lunch and dinner," said referring to the view that America has far lower food standards than in Europe.

Araud's famous tweet about the "world collapsing" after Trump's election sparked anger in the US with a Fox news presenter declaring "how dare he".

 

The ambassador, who has been France's envoy to the US since 2014, deleted the tweet minutes later, but it had already gone viral.

In his interview with the Guardian Araud compared Trump's administration to the court of French King Louis XIV.

"You have an old king, a bit whimsical, unpredictable, uninformed but he wants to be the one deciding," he said.

(Araud meets Obama. AFP)

Araud has never been one to hide his views, especially on Twitter, something he holds in common with the US president.

When former US presidential candidate Jeb Bush mocked France and it's "three day working week" Araud was not willing to take the slight lying down .
 
He called Bush's comments "bombastic nonsense" and took to Twitter to hit back.
 
"A French work week of three days? No, but a pregnancy paid leave of 16 weeks yes! And proud of it," said Araud who went on to defend France's health and education systems and said he was proud of France's high tax rates.

More

Join the conversation in our comments section below. Share your own views and experience and if you have a question or suggestion for our journalists then email us at [email protected].
Please keep comments civil, constructive and on topic – and make sure to read our terms of use before getting involved.

Please log in to leave a comment.

Anonymous 2019/04/21 23:02
This supercilious idiot obviously doesnt maintain contact with Paris. If he did, he would know that it is French blood which is being shed every Saturday, and this has nothing to do with Brexit.
Anonymous 2019/04/19 22:08
I guess illiterates can't actually read very carefully. The Ambassador was appointed in 2014 as Ambassador to the US and Macron was elected in 2017.But then these kind of people are doing well under Trump and Brexit, based all on lies, incompetence and conning those of less than average intelligence. Araud is 100% correct.
Anonymous 2019/04/19 21:11
I can certainly see why he is being replaced!
Anonymous 2019/04/19 12:46
Another inexperienced buffoon appointed by the inexperienced Macron and one wonders why he is "loved" so much.

See Also