President Trump returned early from the G7 meeting in Canada. Perhaps desperate to stay relevant, French President Emmanuel Macron said Trump left to work on an Israeli-Iran ceasefire proposal. As usual, the meddlesome French twit overstepped his bounds, and Trump was not bashful in correcting him, forthrightly saying that “Emmanuel always gets it wrong.”
Macron is a publicity-seeking wanker — that’s British slang, but sounds so much more earnest than effete French words. Metaphorically, Trump just slapped him down, but his wife literally slaps him. One shouldn’t condone any violence, but if anyone has a slap-able face it’s Emmanuel.
Whatever the event, whether paying homage to the deceased pope or a G7 meeting, he’s always trying to insert himself front and center. It’s unbecoming as he covers his mouth while whispering needlessly into someone’s ear while cameras roll, as if he’s sharing the secrets of the universe. One gets the impression that whomever is on the receiving end wishes the annoying frog would just hop away.
While more important leaders were seating themselves around the table at the G7 summit in Canada, Macron stood impishly beside the host, smiling and chatting in an untoward attempt to make an impression. It was like a teenager faking laughter in order to attract attention at a social event, or something equally puerile.
The French aren’t easy to like, but Macron in particular is a grandiose nincompoop capable of annoying friends and foes. Since he helped plunge France into chaos last year, maybe the French have the leader they deserve. And, unfortunately, France is expected to hold the G7 gathering in 2026; I reckon President Trump will also depart that one as quickly as possible.
While unlikable Macron was trying to steal the limelight in unseemly fashion at the G7 meeting in Canada, U.K. Prime Minister Starmer and Trump were actually engaging in significant comity. There was even some humor, especially when Trump dropped a copy of the trade agreement, sending Starmer scrambling to retrieve it. Now there’s a metaphor representing their relative strength and positioning.
Obviously, they have major political differences, but Trump has capacious compassion. Moreover, he genuinely likes Starmer personally. That’s significant, as the UK will receive more favorable tariff treatment partly because, as Trump said, “I like them.”
Likability is an important intangible asset in life, but especially politics (it’s one reason why voters vote such). The personality of the leader (and business and trade negotiators) can be determinative in resolving disagreements. Starmer has, at least for now, won over Trump. Macron, by contrast, hasn’t even won over his wife. Perhaps if she sloshed him harder he would become slap-happy, which would be a personality improvement over his unbearable French pomposity.
How do you like me now?
Image: Faces of the World, CC BY 2.0, via Flickr, unaltered.