President Trump joked with French President Emmanuel Macron in front of reporters on Wednesday as the two met at the NATO summit in Brussels.
After his French counterpart issued an opening statement to reporters in French, Trump quipped that he had “no idea” what Macron had said, but that it had “sounded great.”
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“It sounded beautiful, I have no idea what he said, but it sounded great,” Trump said to laughter from reporters in the room.
“I just reminded everybody that almost one year ago you were present with your wife in Paris for Bastille Day,” Macron responded in English, smiling.
“We have worked together for some 12 months now. And took some great decisions and we will continue to work together,” the French president added.
The two leaders have developed a somewhat close relationship, but have clashed in recent months over tariffs imposed by the U.S. on European Union products.
A phone call between the two men last month “was terrible,” according to a CNN source, with Macron issuing stern criticism on Trump’s policies on issues related to both trade and immigration.
“Just bad. It was terrible,” one source told CNN. “Macron thought he would be able to speak his mind, based on the relationship. But Trump can’t handle being criticized like that.”
During the Wednesday press conference, Macron was asked by reporters whether he agreed with Trump’s earlier criticism of the NATO alliance, including Germany’s gas pipeline deal with Russia, which Trump said made the nation a “captive” of Vladimir Putin’s government.
“I’m glad they asked you that,” Trump said, to laughs.
Laughing, Macron again pushed back against Trump’s criticism of the organization, which has been a top point of contention between the Trump administration and European allies.
“We work together,” he said.