President Donald Trump and French President Emmanuel Macron avoided any public tussles over foreign policy at the opening events of the G7 summit in Evian, France, on Monday.The two leaders have had a complicated relationship during Trump’s second term as the United States imposed “Liberation Day” tariffs on most trade partners, pressured the NATO members to increase defense spending, often appeased Russia in its battle against Ukraine, and as Trump published a private text message from Macron before the World Economic Forum in Davos in January.In an interview with the New York Post hours before heading to France, Trump threatened to slap 100% tariffs on French wines. Trump is pushing France to nix a 3% tech levy on revenue from large digital services that has been in place since 2019.
Macron refused to bow to Trump’s pressure, telling French television channel TF1 before the G7 summit he would not bend. “No, because that is not how it works,” Macron said.
But at their bilateral meeting on Monday, Trump and Macron played nice in front of the cameras and the press. Neither leader mentioned tariffs or NATO.
Almost nine years after their awkward handshake at the 2017 Bastille Day military parade, the two men politely shook hands and expressed their affinity for each other. They later appeared together for an official greeting with G7 leaders.
