French President Emmanuel Macron, like leaders of other U.S. allies targeted by the steel and aluminum tariffs the Trump administration imposed Friday, is not happy with the new trade arrangement. On a call with President Trump on Thursday, he attempted to communicate that displeasure, and it reportedly did not go well.
"Just bad. It was terrible," a source "familiar with the call" told CNN for a Monday report. "Macron thought he would be able to speak his mind, based on the relationship. But Trump can't handle being criticized like that." A second source with knowledge of the call offered a similarly negative account.
In a statement made before the call, Macron said the tariffs are "illegal" and "a mistake [that] responds to a worldwide unbalance that exists in the worst ways through fragmentations and economic nationalism." Macron also announced his plan to tell Trump these criticisms directly.
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Trump has another trade call scheduled Monday with British Prime Minister Theresa May, with whom he has not developed as close a relationship as his "bromance" with Macron. May is also unhappy with the tariffs and is expected to address the issue candidly.
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