President Donald Trump greeted the French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday, holding his first official state visit with the French president. Over the past few days, the behavior of the two world leaders has left hope for a French-American alliance.
Their public affections have been photographed widely, from their long-lasting handshakes to air kisses. Their photo ops featured one painfully awkward moment when Trump flicked dandruff off Macron‘s shoulder before a White House meeting.
A meeting last July is remembered for a particularly long handshake between the leaders in Paris when Trump met the Macrons in Paris for Bastille Day.
Séquence serrages de mains toniques pour les deux couples présidentiels. 🤝 #14juillet pic.twitter.com/vunk3yxm5I
— franceinfo (@franceinfo) July 14, 2017
Hosting the first state visit in Trump’s administration, Trump stayed firm in American undertakings in Iran, but was open to Macron’s pleas to maintain U.S. involvement in Syria. Wednesday morning, Macron attended a joint session of Congress addressing inequality, nuclear weapons, and climate change.
“We have to keep our eyes wide open to the new risks right in front of us,” Macron said. “The only option is to strengthen our cooperation. We can build the new 21st century world order on a new breed of multilateralism.”