French ambassador on Trump-NATO meeting: ‘Foreplay matters, always’

Gerard Araud, the French ambassador to the United States, joked Wednesday about President Trump’s meeting with the NATO allies this week, saying the tone he takes matters.

“There is a legitimate debate about burden sharing, there is a legitimate debate about the future of this alliance that we have created in 1949 in very different circumstances so let’s wait for the summit itself, what really the president of the United States is going to say, but also is going to ask,” Araud said at a Washington Post Live event.

“Well, let’s be a little more undiplomatic and say what you really think here,” Washington Post corespondent Marcy Jordan pressed, drawing laughter from the audience.

“No way!” Araud replied.

“How does the style, I mean does it matter then? Does the opening tone matter?” Jordan continued.

“The foreplay matters, always,” Araud said as the crowd began bursting with laughter.

“I’m French!” Araud added, turning to the camera with a mischievous glance. He continued: “In a sense you have an unusual president so its leading to an unusual way of debating between allies, but let’s go back to the substance of the proposals and requests.”