Donald Trump: "Macron is a smart guy, he would rob you if you weren't careful"

10 October 2024 / Interviews

In a podcast broadcast this Wednesday, Donald Trump once again made headlines by mentioning several world leaders, including French President Emmanuel Macron. The Republican candidate for the White House, known for his sensational statements, did not fail to call Emmanuel Macron a "smart guy" while accusing him of being capable of "robbing you if you weren't careful."

A dig at Macron, an attack on Biden

In the interview, Trump blasted Joe Biden's presidency, calling him once again a "clown" and "an idiot," criticizing his handling of international affairs. The American billionaire called the current US president "fundamentally inept," which he said poses a danger to the country. "The other guys, the foreign leaders, are in top form," Trump insisted, citing leaders like Xi Jinping, the Chinese president, and Emmanuel Macron.

Trump was full of praise for the French president's intelligence and tenacity, while expressing reservations about his intentions: "Macron is a smart guy, he's all for France, he would strip you if you weren't careful," he said, without going into details about what he meant by that.

A tumultuous relationship

Relations between Donald Trump and Emmanuel Macron have never been easy. During his presidential term, Trump had already criticized his French counterpart on several occasions, while maintaining a certain mutual respect during official meetings. During his campaign rallies, the former American president regularly enjoys imitating Emmanuel Macron, adopting a fake French accent to mock their past discussions. He notably boasted of having forced Macron to give in during negotiations on customs duties.

In 2023, Trump also accused Macron of pandering to Chinese interests, after the French president's visit to Beijing. He then accused him of "kissing Xi Jinping's ass", in a comment that caused a stir.

A new media stunt

This new media release is part of Donald Trump's usual strategy: harshly criticizing Joe Biden while trying to demonstrate that he is the only one capable of standing up to the other major world powers. By praising Macron's intelligence, while emphasizing a certain danger in doing business with him, Trump seems to want to remind that he is ready to defend American interests against leaders he considers more efficient than Biden.

The former president has repeatedly attacked his Democratic opponent's cognitive abilities, particularly as the US presidential campaign heats up. Trump hopes to score points with his electorate by highlighting what he sees as the Biden administration's weaknesses compared to "tough, smart leaders" in other nations.