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President Joe Biden’s welcoming of French President Emmanuel Macron at the first White House state visit on Thursday since the U.S. Democrat took power in early 2021, is being celebrated by officials from both countries as a recognition of France’s status as America’s oldest ally.
The visit also highlights the unique way that Macron has raised France’s profile on the world stage, and particularly in the United States. Since he swept to power in 2017, Macron has launched a flurry of international initiatives that have made him one of the most active global leaders.
From Beirut to Bangkok, and from the Kremlin to the White House, he has sought to place himself at the center of every crisis, with a flair for seizing the moment.
At the White House, Macron is expected to confront Biden over new U.S. subsidies riling European leaders, and the two leaders may disagree over the endgame in Ukraine and China policy, experts say.
But Macron’s importance to Washington is clear, former and current officials from both countries say. Notably, he was also the first foreign leader former President Donald Trump invited for a formal state visit.
Given the uncertainties coming from London, Berlin or Rome in recent years and “although the French vision and strategy is not always the one the U.S. would like, at least it is quite readable and consistent,” said Mathieu Droin, a former French foreign ministry official and visiting fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington.
Supporters say Macron has brought energy and creativity to the staid world of diplomacy, with his cheeky campaign to “Make Our Planet Great Again” for instance or a new European forum (the ECP) to unify Europeans against Russia.
Critics say his provocative style can backfire and that he has divided Western allies with his scathing comments about Nato’s “brain death” in 2019, and his views on Russian President Vladimir Putin.
