President Joe Biden and French President Emmanuel Macron appear to be developing a budding bromance in the United Kingdom.
Macron and Biden sat for a brief bilateral meeting in between Saturday’s G-7 summit sessions, during which the French president heaped praise on his American counterpart and took a thinly veiled shot at former President Donald Trump.
BIDEN AIMS TO AVOID TRUMP’S MISSTEP BY SKIPPING JOINT PRESS CONFERENCE WITH PUTIN
“Definitely,” Macron told reporters when asked if he thinks America is “back.”
“I think it’s great to have a U.S. president part of the club and very willing to cooperate,” he said. “And I think what you demonstrate is that leadership is partnership.”
Macron: “I think it’s great to have the U.S. President part of the club.”
Biden: “The U.S. is back.” He said he believes in the strength of the EU, not only its economy but “the backbone on the support for NATO.”pic.twitter.com/ya8KRXEwZR
— Josh Wingrove (@josh_wingrove) June 12, 2021
Biden added that he and Macron are on the “same page” and called the European Union “incredibly strong and vibrant” — but the two leaders did not answer substantive questions from the U.S. press pool.
That moment journalists tried to shout questions at the first Macron/Biden bilateral meeting. Video courtesy of @lbenhamou pic.twitter.com/GNnAAl8JLp
— Michel Rose (@MichelReuters) June 12, 2021
Numerous questions asked by pool reporters. No replies.
“Thank you guys, let’s go,” wrangler repeatedly shouts as the two leaders look on amused. pic.twitter.com/8htwVGAIM5
— Steve Herman (@W7VOA) June 12, 2021
Before Saturday’s one-on-one, Macron animatedly embraced Biden during the initial G-7 session on Friday, with multiple pool reporters capturing their hands-on interactions.
Pese a los esfuerzos de Macron, está clarísimo que Biden no se está enterando de nada. pic.twitter.com/625Dnv7saD
— Antonio Camuñas (@ManhattanManOne) June 12, 2021
President Biden walking with French President Emmanuel Macron at the G7
pic.twitter.com/dAsKLquszg— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) June 11, 2021
Biden and Macron are now in their bilateral meeting, per pooler @karentravers
Watch for body language, they were quite cuddly last night. #G7Summit2021 pic.twitter.com/h4gOjotUti— Patsy Widakuswara (@pwidakuswara) June 12, 2021
In addition to the Macron meeting, Biden has spent the opening two days of the summit reaffirming the U.S.-U.K. “special relationship” with Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
Following the conclusion of the summit and subsequent NATO and EU meetings in Brussels, Biden will meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Geneva, but unlike Trump, he won’t hold a joint press conference with his Russian counterpart.
“While we are still finalizing the format for the meeting with President Putin and his delegation, we can confirm a few details, including the plan for both a working session and a smaller session, as well as a solo press conference by President Biden following the meeting,” a White House official told reporters Saturday morning.
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“We expect this meeting to be candid and straightforward, and a solo press conference is the appropriate format to clearly communicate with the free press the topics that were raised in the meeting — both in terms of areas where we may agree and in areas where we have significant concerns,” the official added.
The administration also announced that Biden will host German Chancellor Angela Merkel at the White House in July. Merkel and Trump never developed a rapport, and they often traded barbs as the former U.S. president pulled his country back from the world stage.
Biden ran in 2020, in part, on restoring America’s standing globally, including reconnecting with longtime allies and international entities.
