MSNBC host Ali Velshi couldn’t seem to figure out why President Trump took a trip to France Thursday, despite the fact that France is the United States’ oldest ally.
“I need to understand why this trip is even happening,” Velshi said incredulously.
Velshi seemed to think that because Trump isn’t very popular in France he would have no reason to travel there.
“In France [confidence in Trump] is 14 percent. 14 percent of the French population has confidence in Trump” he laughed, comparing the number to France’s 85 percent confidence level in former President Barack Obama.
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Of course, there are a number of reasons why President Trump might visit the United States’ oldest ally, not the least of which being that he was invited by French President Emmanuel Macron.
If that wasn’t a convincing enough reason, Laura Haim, Macron’s former campaign spokesperson, deftly explained to Velshi and his co-host Stephanie Ruhle the gravity of the relationship between the US and France.
“Macron said this morning in an interview that the world needs the United States,” Haim said. “For the French president, it is extremely important to preserve the transatlantic relation.”
“In the past six months I was talking with him, [Macron] always said no matter who is the president of the United States, I have to walk with the President of the United States,” she asserted.
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As other commentators noted throughout the day, the United States and France want to work together on Syria and other foreign policy issues.