Attending the 100th year anniversary of the end of WW I at the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, 72-year-old Donald Trump got snared in French politics, with 40-year-old French President Emmanuel Macron saying that Europe needs it own army. With his approval ratings shrinking to 29%, Macron looks for any way to bolster his approval ratings. Only in office since May 14, 2017, Macron’s watched his popularity decline because of the sluggish French economy. Trump found “very insulting” that Macron insisted that Europe needs its own army to defend against potential threats from Russia, China and the United States. With the U.S. and France allied since the U.S. Revolutionary War, it was difficult for Trump to accept a Europe Radio 1 interview in which Macron made his comments. Macron was mainly talking about cyber-security threats facing the European Union.
Macron hasn’t gotten over Russian President Vladimir Putin annexing Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula March 1, 2014, concerned about possible Russia encroachment in Europe. “Confronted by Russia, which is on our borders and which has shown itself willing to be threatening, we need to have a Europe that can better defend itself by itself and in the sovereign way, without depending solely on the United States,” Macron told Europe 1 Radio. When you consider Trump urging Europe to pay a bigger share of NATO’s budget, Macron’s comments make perfect sense, especially about becoming more self-sufficient when it comes to defense. Macron hopes his challenge to the U.S. wins him more support with anti-American French, looking for more French nationalism. Trump took Macron’s statements entirely the wrong way, with Macron trying to express more French independence.
Trump flew to Europe after the Midterm elections in which he lost the House of Representatives yet added to his support in the Senate by at least three seats. Tuesday’s election sent Trump packing with a more divided government starting Jan. 1, 2019. With Special Counsel Robert Mueller working on his final report to Congress, Trump can only wait for the shoe to drop. Mueller won’t have too many good things to say about Trump’s payments to porn star Stormy Daniels and former Playboy centerfold Susan McDougal, both of whom claim affairs with Trump in 2012. Whether or not Mueller comes up with anything of substance about alleged Russian collusion in anyone’s guess. Waiting for Mueller’s final report can’t feel too good for Trump or his closest advisers. Traveling to Europe gives Trump a welcome breather over a bad week in which Democrats seized control of the House.
Trump expects to visit historic WW I battlefields, including cemeteries at Belleau Wood and Suresnes near Paris where he’ll deliver a prepared speech. Marking the 100th
Year anniversary of WW I is a sober reminder of the sacrifices made by the some 116,708 U.S. troops in WW I. While French losses totaled 1,397.000, the First WW I demonstrated unparalleled carnage never seen before in human history. Trump had been lecturing European allies to spend more GDP on military defense, not relying solely on NATO for European security. “Very insulting, but perhaps Europe should first pay its fair share of NATO, which the U.S. subsidizes greatly,” Trump tweeted, repeating a sore point with European allies. Macron’s comments to European 1 Radio can only be interpreted as a response to Trump’s criticism that Europe doesn’t pay enough for its own collective defense.
Macron has been especially worried about Trump’s Oct. 20 decision to pull out of the Intermediate Nuclear Forces [INF] treaty with the Russian Federation due to what Trump says are repeated violations. Macron sees Europe as the “main victim” of Trump’s decision to withdraw from the INF treaty. EU worries that Russia has a disproportionate arsenal of nuclear weapons trained on countries lacking the resources to compete in the global arms’ race. Macron also objected to Trump pulling the U.S. out of the Paris Climate Accord, drafted Dec. 12, 2015, effective Nov. 4, 2016. Trump didn’t make too many friends in the EU canceling U.S. involvement in the Oct. 18, 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action AKA the Iranian Nuke Deal. Meeting on the sidelines at the Arc de Triomphe, Trump hopes to speak with Russian President Vladimir Putin before meeting again at the G20 in Buenos Aires.
Meeting with world leaders in Paris, Trump hopes to advance his “America First” agenda. “I’m not a globalist, but I want to take care of the globe, but first I have to take care of our country,” Trump told Fox News Channel’s “The Ingram Angle” last week. Calling himself a “nationalist,” Trump stirred up images of White Nationalist, often associated racist groups. “I want to help people around the world, but we have toke care our country or we won’t have a country,” Trump said, referring to the immigration debacle that threatens U.S. borders. Europe too deals with Mideast and North African immigration problems, much like the U.S. deals with the immigration flow from Mexico and Central America. With so many uncertainties with the Mueller probe, Trump should make the best of his trip to Paris, a welcomed respite from the rough-and-tumble of domestic politics.
