Summit in Washington: despite the good harmony, Joe Biden and Emmanuel Macron have made their differences clear

They showered each other with compliments, they hugged each other, they said they were best friends and that the alliance between the United States and France is more than solid. But there were sparks between US President Joe Biden and the French Emmanuel Macron, who warned in Washington that the policies of the head of the White House They are ‘aggressive’ and could ‘fragment the West’an unprecedented criticism in the first state visit of the Biden presidency.

“I don’t apologize”The American responded this Thursday.

Biden received Macron at the White House with full honors because the Frenchman’s trip was classified as a “state visit”, a privilege granted to those considered great allies of Washington. In addition, French is the first president to whom Biden has given this special treatment since he took office in January 2021.

Thus, the leader of France and his wife were pampered with the highest protocol: 21-gun salutes, national anthems and a welcome fanfare at the White House and special gifts. Also, they closed out the night this Thursday with a state dinner with 400 guests and a special menu that they have been working on for several months.

After the convulsions of Republican Donald Trump’s presidency, Biden seeks to work to strengthen ties with traditional US partners, including his “oldest ally”how Washington describes France.

differences

In addition, the American wants to smooth out the bumps that arose in September last year, when the United States announced a new military alliance with the United Kingdom and Australia, AUKUS, which caused France to lose a multi-million dollar submarine contract with Canberra . Biden did not hold back, while acknowledging that the decision was “foolish”.

The war in Ukraine brought them together with a common goal, but that doesn’t mean there hasn’t been friction since then. In fact, the Frenchman, who has just arrived in Washington, said Wednesday in an unusually aggressive tone for a visitor received with such honors that the economic decisions of the United States they were “super aggressive” for European companies.

“Decisions made (by Biden), whose goals I share, especially the Inflation Reduction Law or the Chip Law, will fragment the West because they create differences between the United States and Europe“, She said.

One of the pillars of Biden’s policy to lower prices, stimulate the economy and fight climate change, the Inflation Reduction Act allocates billions of dollars to support the American clean energy industry. Chip law favors US semiconductor manufacturers.

Biden wants to reinvigorate his industry and reassure a middle class shaken by globalization, challenging Beijing. This requires total defense of US interests, both at the military level, as he did with AUKUS, and at the industrial level.

“I don’t apologize”

In this American geopolitics, “in a sense, Europe and France they become a sort of adjustment variableMacron said.

These options “will fragment the West,” he later told the French community. “They can only work if there is coordination between us, if we decide together, if we get back in sync”.

In a press conference after holding a bilateral meeting, Biden was clear when asked about the Inflation Reduction Act: “I don’t apologize”he said, on Macron’s frustrations with the benefits of electric vehicles encouraging American companies to invest in the United States.

However, Biden has tried to temper French’s claim, adding that “there are adjustments we can make that will fundamentally make things easier for European companies,” he said, adding that “never intended to exclude”.

The harshness would be left aside Thursday night, at the gala dinner at the White House, with tables decorated with chandeliers and flowers in the colors of the two countries and a special menu with more than 200 lobsters brought particularly alive from the state of Maine. Then there will be the ribs with the best meats from various parts of the country and the orange cake for dessert.

The great challenge, given the sophisticated palate of the visit, was the cheeses. All the Americans were chosen, in particular a blue from Oregon who won a world championship in 2019.

All the details to entertain a friend and ally, who do not hesitate to present their complaints.