Macron ends official visit to Biden as economic frictions settle on the table

Emmanuel Macron arrived in Washington as Joe Biden’s first guest on a state visit, determined to take on the role – previously assumed by Angela Merkel – as a leader who fights for the interests of not only his own nation but all members of the European Union.

The ambitious agenda to be discussed with the American president included the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and its consequences for the European economy, the war in Ukraine and how to contain Russia.

But the American press focused more on a possible rail strike than on the French president’s visit. Even at the conference of the two heads of state this Thursday (1), where only five questions were allowed, one of them was addressed only to Biden and involved negotiating railroad workers’ rights.

After the press conference, The Washington Post and The New York Times continued to pay more attention to domestic policy issues and made headlines only with Biden’s statement that he was willing to talk to Vladimir Putin under certain conditions.

The White House certainly shouldn’t complain. Better to show Americans only a fraction of the smiles and declarations of friendship between Macron and Biden, especially after the election of the American president with the promise that he will re-strengthen relations between the United States and European leaders.

But Macron did not come to Washington to exchange gifts and attend flamboyant dinners. There was a serious friction that the two heads of state had to deal with.

trimming edges

Macron arrived in the American capital a year later after a heated argument with the Biden government, when France lost its contract to sell submarines to Australia due to the US’s AUKUS agreement with Australia and the UK.

And the Frenchman came to tell his American colleague that Europeans found Biden’s measures to reduce inflation conservative and unacceptable.

Despite the many smiles and friendly words from the two presidents in front of the cameras, backstage Macron conveyed his message quite directly.

He even gave an interview to Good Morning America, the most-watched morning news program in the United States, and said that Biden’s IRA, while great for the United States, is unfair to disadvantaged Europeans. Compete on Marketplace.

The French president went so far as to say that the law to reduce inflation could even cause “the disintegration of the West”.

While Biden is renowned for being good at diplomacy, Americans cannot ignore that this type of open conflict between the United States and its oldest allies is unprecedented. This could damage Biden’s image if he wants to be re-elected in 2024.

Biden advocates measures

The American president said at a press conference that Macron has not apologized in any way for the measures he has criticized for being “overly aggressive” towards Europe, and that he simply has no intention of harming Europe.

But Biden is following the same path as Donald Trump, putting the United States clearly at the forefront, and this could change his image as the “Trump antidote” around the world, something the Chinese and Russian governments would be happy to point out.

According to the American media, the two heads of state displayed a united front on Russia’s aggression in Ukraine, but gave different answers on their willingness to negotiate with Putin. On Thursday morning, Macron told the American press that he plans to meet with the Russian President in the coming days.

A few hours later, Biden said at a press conference that he had no immediate plans to contact Putin, but was ready to talk to the Russian president if he wanted to negotiate an end to the war in Ukraine.

Both Macron and Biden have been criticized for not talking about protests against government repression in China, despite declaring their support for the protesters in Iran.

In 2018, Macron was Trump’s first guest at a state dinner at the White House. The dinner hosted by Trump had just over 100 guests and no performances by music stars.

This time, Macron ate lobster, caviar and American cheeses with more than 400 guests attending singer Jon Batiste’s concert.