Macron talks of European army, Trump says it is ‘very insulting’

Paris, November 10 

US President Donald Trump and France’s Emmanuel Macron agreed on Saturday on the need for more European defence spending, papering over an earlier Trump tweet that had described Macron’s call for a European army as “very insulting”.

Seated on gilded chairs in the ornate presidential palace, Macron placed his hand on Trump’s knee and referred to him as “my friend”, while Trump kept more distance, although he also talked up common ground on an issue that had caused friction. “We want a strong Europe, it’s very important to us, and whichever way we can do it the best and more efficient would be something we both want,” said Trump. 

Macron echoed those sentiments, saying he wanted Europe to bear a greater share of the defence costs within NATO, a point he has made repeatedly since taking office, alongside his ambitions for Europe to have its own military capability. 

Trump’s visit is aimed at bolstering the US-European alliance at a symbolic time, with the world marking the centenary of World War One’s armistice. But in a tweet prior to landing in Paris, Trump took a dim view of comments Macron made in a Europe 1 radio interview this week in which he appeared to cast the US as a threat. Discussing the growing dangers from cyber-hacking, meddling in electoral processes and the US decision to withdraw from a missile treaty, Macron said Europe needed to protect itself against China, Russia “and even the US”.

Trump, who has pushed NATO allies to pay more for common defence and not rely on the US, complained. “Very insulting, but perhaps Europe should first pay its fair share of NATO, which the US subsidises greatly,” Trump said on Twitter. — Reuters