After Failed Trump Romance, France Seeks Reset Under Biden

January 25, 2021by Associated Press Staff
After Failed Trump Romance, France Seeks Reset Under Biden
French President Emmanuel Macron stands during the One Planet Summit, at The Elysee Palace, in Paris, France. World leaders breathed an audible sigh of relief that the United States under President Joe Biden is rejoining the global effort to curb climate change, a cause that his predecessor had shunned. (Ludovic Marin, Pool Photo via AP, File)

PARIS (AP) — After increasingly strained U.S.-France relations under Donald Trump, President Joe Biden and French President Emmanuel Macron agreed Sunday to work closely together to fight the coronavirus pandemic and climate change.

Their first conversation since Biden’s inauguration aimed at mending frayed ties between the historic allies. Biden “stressed his commitment to bolstering the transatlantic relationship” via NATO and the EU. Macron pledged his “determination to work at the side of the U.S.”

After four years of “America First” under Trump, the new U.S. president and French leader see eye-to-eye on the importance of international cooperation to fight climate change and COVID-19 and in negotiating with Iran.

But Macron’s office said the two men wouldn’t shy away from thorny issues. France is notably pushing for globally consistent taxes on U.S. tech powerhouses such as Google or Amazon, which led to an ongoing trade dispute with Washington under Trump. And the U.S. and EU are imposing tit-for-tat tariffs over subsidies to plane makers Boeing and France-based Airbus.

Macron stressed the importance of working jointly within the World Health Organization – which Trump abandoned – to help ensure vaccine distribution to poor countries.

According to a White House statement, Biden agreed to work with France on China, the Middle East, Russia and the Sahel region of Africa, where France is leading an international military operation against Islamic extremists.

Despite starkly different political views, Macron and Trump developed a surprisingly chummy relationship early on – including a fawning White House reception for the French leader and intimate Eiffel Tower dinner for the two first couples — that later soured amid Trump’s increasingly mercurial and protectionist policies.

A+
a-
  • diplomacy
  • Emmanuel Macron
  • Foreign Affairs
  • France
  • Joe Biden
  • In The News

    Health

    Voting

    Foreign Affairs

    At Paris Gathering, Western Leaders to Show Unity for Ukraine and Signal 'Russia Cannot Win'

    PARIS (AP) — More than 20 European heads of state and government and other Western officials are gathering in a... Read More

    PARIS (AP) — More than 20 European heads of state and government and other Western officials are gathering in a show of unity for Ukraine, signaling to Russia that their support for Kyiv isn't wavering as the full-scale invasion grinds into a third year. French President Emmanuel Macron,... Read More

    Unlikely Challenger to Putin Brings Rare Show of Defiance, Creating Dilemma for Kremlin

    They have lined up by the thousands across Russia in recent days, standing in the bitter cold for a chance... Read More

    They have lined up by the thousands across Russia in recent days, standing in the bitter cold for a chance to sign petitions to support an unlikely challenger to President Vladimir Putin. Boris Nadezhdin has become a dilemma for the Kremlin as he seeks to run... Read More

    The UK and France Reiterate Russia's Invasion of Ukraine Must End in Failure as US Aid Falters

    PARIS (AP) — Britain and France reiterated their determination Tuesday that Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine ends in failure, with the U.K.... Read More

    PARIS (AP) — Britain and France reiterated their determination Tuesday that Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine ends in failure, with the U.K. foreign minister saying that Ukraine's allies must better leverage their economic might to vastly outmatch Moscow's war machine. The renewed insistence from U.K. Foreign Secretary David... Read More

    China's State Media Take a New Tone Toward US Ahead of Meeting Between Leaders

    Ahead of the highly anticipated meeting on Wednesday between U.S. President Joe Biden and Chinese leader Xi Jinping, Chinese state media have... Read More

    Ahead of the highly anticipated meeting on Wednesday between U.S. President Joe Biden and Chinese leader Xi Jinping, Chinese state media have taken a new tone toward the U.S. with less negative coverage, calls for a return to warmer ties and stories of Americans with positive connections to... Read More

    Albanese Arrives at White House to Start Day of Meetings and Celebrations

    WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden pressed forward with this week's state visit from Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, carving out time... Read More

    WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden pressed forward with this week's state visit from Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, carving out time to nurture the relationship with a critical U.S. ally in the Pacific against the backdrop of escalating fighting between Israel and Hamas. The state visit, only the... Read More

    Live Updates | Cease-Fire Pleas and Israel-Hamas Recriminations Rise in Wake of Gaza Hospital Blast

    President Joe Biden is in Israel on an urgent mission to keep the Israel-Hamas war from spiraling into a broader... Read More

    President Joe Biden is in Israel on an urgent mission to keep the Israel-Hamas war from spiraling into a broader regional conflict and to encourage the delivery of humanitarian aid to the Palestinians. The president's visit on Wednesday came after hundreds of people were reported killed... Read More

    News From The Well
    scroll top