'The Danger We Face from Trump and Putin Might Finally Force Europe to Unite' • FRANCE 24 English

Mar 7, 2025 | European leaders have backed plans to spend more on defence and continue to stand by Ukraine in a world upended by Donald Trump's reversal of US foreign policy amid his abrupt pivot towards Russia. For in-depth analysis and a deeper perspective on the widening rift between the US and their closest Western allies, FRANCE 24's Mark Owen welcomes Quentin Peel, an independent journalist and an Associate Fellow with the Europe Programme at Chatham House in London.

The French President Puts the Dagger in Trump to All of France

Mar 6, 2025 | MeidasTouch host Ben Meiselas reports on French President Emmanuel Macron crushing Donald Trump and the Trump regime in a powerful national address to all of France.

Emmanuel Macron : Adresse aux Français.

Streamed live Mar 5, 2025 | Mes chers compatriotes, dans ce moment de grande incertitude, où le monde est confronté à ses plus grands défis, je m’adresserai à vous ce soir à 20h.

France Could Extend Nuclear Umbrella to Prepare for Wider War with Putin

Mar 6, 2025 | “France has an independent nuclear deterrent arm, has fewer than 300 warheads. But they don't depend on us.”

Macron said he would open a debate for extending the French nuclear umbrella to other European countries, says The Times’s Adam Sage.

Macron Warns Russian Aggression ‘Knows No Borders’ in Televised Address

THE GUARDIAN: French president says Europe must prepare for a future without guaranteed US support, warning Russian threat could extend beyond Ukraine

The French president, Emmanuel Macron, has warned that Russian aggression “knows no borders”, will not stop at Ukraine and is a direct threat to France and Europe which must prepare in case the US steps away from its side.

“I want to believe the US will stay by our side,” Macron said in a televised address late on Wednesday. “But we have to be ready if that isn’t the case,” he said.

Macron sought to calm what his office called voter anxiety on the Ukraine crisis, European security and the threat of a transatlantic trade war after Trump paused US support to Ukraine and also threatened to slap tariffs on goods from the EU, following on from levies imposed on China, Mexico and Canada. » | Angelique Chrisafis in Paris | Wednesday, March 5, 2025

Michael Lambert: Trump's Shocking Decision to Back Russia Explained

Mar 1, 2025 | Trump is under Putin's control. This is almost certainly because Trump will have accepted Russian money in the past to support his business empire. Putin will have let Trump know that if he fails to support Russia, he will release information which will bring down Trump's business empire.

Emmanuel Macron visited Trump in the White House this week and was forceful, being that he was speaking for 27 countries. A day later Keir Starmer visited, representing just one country, Global Britain. With no bargaining power, Starmer disarmed Trump by presenting him with a letter from King Charles inviting his to an unprecedented second state visit.

Finally, UK visitors to China require a visa which involves a lengthy application form, a visit to an embassy for fingerprinting and a fee of between £130 and £250. Visitors from any EU country can visit for 30 days without any visa.

President Macron Won't Stand for Trump's Lies | The Warning with Steve Schmidt

Feb 25, 2025 | French President Emmanuel Macron visited the White House and showed Donald Trump he can't spew blatant lies like he normally does. Steve Schmidt breaks down the White House meeting and explains how Trump is destroying America's allies one by one.

Meeting Again in Paris, European Leaders Try to Recalibrate After Trump Sides With Russia

THE NEW YORK TIMES: The American president’s latest remarks embracing Vladimir Putin’s narrative that Ukraine is to blame for the war have compounded the sense of alarm among traditional allies.

President Emmanuel Macron of France called a second emergency meeting of European allies on Wednesday seeking to recalibrate relations with the United States as President Trump upends international politics by rapidly changing American alliances.

Mr. Macron had already assembled a dozen European leaders in Paris on Monday after Mr. Trump and his new team angered and confused America’s traditional allies by suggesting that the United States would rapidly retreat from its security role in Europe and planned to proceed with peace talks with Russia — without Europe or Ukraine at the table.

Mr. Trump’s remarks late on Tuesday, when he sided fully with Russia’s narrative blaming Ukraine for the war, have now fortified the impression that the United States is prepared to abandon its role as a European ally and switch sides to embrace President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia.

It was a complete reversal of historic alliances that left many in Europe stunned and fearful.

“What’s happening is very bad. It’s a reversal of the state of the world since 1945,” Jean- Yves Le Drian, a former French foreign minister, said on French radio Wednesday morning. » | Catherine Porter and Andrew Higgins | Catherine Porter reported from Paris and Andrew Higgins from Warsaw | Wednesday, February 19, 2025

‘He Who Shall Not Be Named’: World Leaders Ignore Musk

Jan 8, 2025 | “When [Starmer] was asked about it at a press conference, he deliberately didn't use Elon Musk's name.”

World leaders are not acknowledging Elon Musk’s name, but are still tackling the discussions he has himself brought up on X, says Times Radio’s political editor Kate McCann.

Emmanuel Macron Joins Growing Criticism of Elon Musk in Europe

THE GUARDIAN: French president accuses world’s richest man of intervening directly in continent’s democratic processes

Emmanuel Macron has added his voice to a growing chorus of European criticism of Elon Musk, accusing the world’s richest man of intervening directly in the continent’s democratic processes, including Germany’s snap federal elections next month.

The French president joined the Norwegian and British prime ministers and a German government spokesperson on Monday in responding to a barrage of hostile posts by Musk backing far-right political parties and attacking leftwing politicians in Europe.

The owner of the social media platform X is a close ally of Donald Trump and, after spending more than $250m (£210m) to help get him re-elected, has been asked by the incoming US president to cut the federal budget as a special adviser.

“Ten years ago, who would have imagined that the owner of one of the world’s largest social networks would be supporting a new international reactionary movement and intervening directly in elections, including in Germany,” Macron said. » | Jon Henley, Europe correspondent | Monday, January 6, 2025

European leaders such as Emmanuel Macron are absolutely correct when they criticise this meddlesome man. Musk thinks more of himself than he ought to! The fact that he’s the world’s richest man doesn’t give him the right to interfere in the internal affairs of other countries. Musk’s wings need to be clipped before he does some serious damage to the world’s democracies. – © Mark Alexander

Emmanuel Macron : Pour 2025, je nous souhaite d’être unis, déterminés et fraternels.

Dec 31, 2024

Donald Trump and Emmanuel Macron Meet in Paris ahead of Notre Dame Reopening Ceremony

Dec 7, 2024 | On Saturday, President-elect Donald Trump and France's President Emmanuel Macron met before the Notre Dame Reopening Ceremony in Paris, France.

A picture paints a thousand words! – © Mark Alexander

Democracy Now! Political Chaos in France: Macron Refuses to Resign After Hand-picked PM Ousted by Lawmakers

Dec 6, 2024 | France has been plunged into political chaos after lawmakers from across the political spectrum voted to oust Prime Minister Michel Barnier in a no-confidence vote Wednesday, a major blow to President Emmanuel Macron, who had hand-picked the conservative lawmaker to lead the National Assembly. Macron called a snap election earlier this year to counter the rise of the racist National Rally party of Marine Le Pen, but he then refused to work with the leftist New Popular Front that won the most seats, opting for an establishment pick instead. With the government's collapse, Macron has vowed to name a new prime minister and stay on to finish his own term, which ends in 2027, despite his growing unpopularity. "We're in this unprecedented situation of turmoil," says journalist Cole Stangler in Marseilles. He says Macron's decision to call early elections was "a self-inflicted wound" that ended up empowering the far right and making it virtually impossible for any faction to lead. "We have a mathematical problem. France needs to have a government, and you have three pretty evenly split blocs," says Stangler.

Emmanuel Macron : Adresse aux Français.

Dec 5, 2024

Macron Gave 'Combative, Scathing Address, But No Real Visibility': Analyst • FRANCE 24 English

Dec 25, 2024 | French president Emmanuel Macron has vowed to remain French president 'until end of mandate'. He says he'll name a new prime minister within days following the vote of no confidence that brought the Barnier government down on Wednesday. FRANCE 24's speaks to Ariane Bogain, senior lecturer in French and Politics at the University of Northumbria. She says Macron's address to the nation was surprisingly combative and showed no contrition about the crisis.

Can France's Opposition Pressure Macron into Resignation? | DW News

Dec 5, 2024 | French Prime Minister Michel Barnier has lost a vote of no-confidence in parliament after just three months in office. President Emanuel Macron had appointed Barnier against considerable opposition from parties on both the right and the left. President Macron is now urgently seeking ways to solve the growing political and financial crisis. He is due to speak later on Thursday, what is he expected to say?

Donald Trump : «Macron, c'est un type intelligent, il vous dépouillerait si vous ne faisiez pas attention»

LE FIGARO : Le candidat républicain à la Maison-Blanche évoquait notamment dans cette émission la présidence de Joe Biden, qu'il a qualifié de «clown» et d'«idiot».

Donald Trump a assuré dans un podcast diffusé mercredi que le président français Emmanuel Macron était «un type intelligent» qui «vous dépouillerait si vous ne faisiez pas attention». Le candidat républicain à la Maison-Blanche évoquait notamment dans cette émission la présidence de Joe Biden, qu'il a qualifié de «clown» et d'«idiot». «Nous n'avons pas un vrai président. Nous avons un homme qui est fondamentalement inepte et c'est très dangereux parce que les autres gars (dirigeants, ndlr) sont au top de leur forme», a lancé le milliardaire de 78 ans, qui émet des critiques régulières sur les capacités cognitives de Joe Biden. » | Par Le Figaro avec AFP | mercredi 9 octobre 2024

Netanyahu Hits Out at Macron over Call for Halt to Arms Exports to Israel

THE GUARDIAN: Israeli prime minister turns on French counterpart’s continuing efforts towards a ceasefire and end to violence in Lebanon

A call by Emmanuel Macron for a halt in arms supplies to Israel for use in Gaza has been met with an angry rebuttal from the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu.

The French president’s comments were directed mainly at the US and were part of continuing French efforts to revive its call for a ceasefire in Lebanon.

France provides few arms to Israel but is keen to strengthen its longstanding influence in Lebanon by showing it wants the US to put some genuine pressure on Israel to accept a ceasefire. Washington appeared to mount little diplomatic resistance when Israel – after sending mixed signals – rejected a US-French plan for a 21 day ceasefire in Lebanon announced at the UN in New York nearly a fortnight ago.

In an interview recorded on Monday, but broadcast on Saturday, Macron told France Inter radio: “I think that today, the priority is that we return to a political solution, that we stop supplying weapons to lead the fighting in Gaza.” » | Patrick Wintour, Diplomatic editor | Sunday, October 6, 2024

To my great surprise, Emmanuel Macron is on the wrong side of history on this! Macron is ignoring what Hamas did to Israel and Israelis on October 7th, 2023, and he is ignoring the fact that Benjamin Netanyahu with our help will be able to rid the world of the scourges of the Islamic Republic of Iran and Hamas. The Palestinian question will never be solved with these two rogue powers undermining peace in the region. We all want the very best for Palestinians. These poor people have suffered enough. But we cannot help Palestinians attain peace and prosperity if Iran and Hamas are big players in the region. They will sour it all. And let us not forget the heinous crimes that Hamas committed against the Israelis in 2023. – © Mark Alexander

«C’est simplement de la cohérence» : Emmanuel Macron demande l’arrêt de livraison d’armes à Israël utilisées à Gaza

LE FIGARO : Le chef de l’État a par ailleurs déploré que la communauté internationale ne soit «pas entendue» par Benyamin Netanyahou et appelle à ne pas «sacrifier» le peuple libanais.

Dans une interview accordée à France Inter, Emmanuel Macron s'est prononcé samedi pour l'arrêt des livraisons d'armes à Israël qui sont utilisées dans le conflit à Gaza. «Je pense qu'aujourd'hui, la priorité, c'est qu'on revienne à une solution politique, qu'on cesse de livrer les armes pour mener les combats sur Gaza», a-t-il déclaré lors d'une émission spéciale sur la radio du service public consacrée à la francophonie, préenregistrée le 1er octobre. » | Par Le Figaro et AFP agence | samedi 5 octobre 2024

French Audit Cautions Élysée over €475k Cost of King Charles Dinner

THE GUARDIAN: Versailles banquet among lavish spending in 2023 that has plunged president’s office €8m into red

The Versailles banquet aimed to improve political ties, with dignitaries downing almost £36,000-worth of drinks. Photograph: Daniel Leal/AFP/Getty Images | Screenshot taken from the accompanying article
The French president’s office spent nearly €475,000 (£400,100) on a dinner for King Charles last year, the country’s top audit court said in a report cautioning about high spending.

In September 2023, King Charles attended a lavish state banquet at the Palace of Versailles attended by more than 150 people, part of a “soft power” visit aimed at improving ties between London and Paris.

The guests dined on lobster and crab, French poultry marinaded in champagne and a gratin of French ceps (a wild mushroom). Vintage wines and champagnes were on offer, while the dessert was a French macaron with lychee and rose sorbet and raspberry compote. » | Lili Bayer | Tuesday, July 30, 2024