President Donald Trump and French President Emmanuel Macron got into a testy exchange Tuesday over ISIS prisoners, leading Trump to accuse the French leader of giving “one of the greatest non-answers I’ve ever heard.”
Trump suggested during a bilateral meeting with Macron at the 2019 NATO Summit that France should be taking in more ISIS fighters after they are captured in the Middle East. The issue has been a source of tension for the two countries, as the president believes the ISIS fighters should be returned to and put on trial by their home countries rather than handled by the U.S. (RELATED: Trump Doubles Down On Syria Pullout Despite Bipartisan Backlash)
“Would you like some nice ISIS fighters? I can give them to you,” Trump said to Macron. “You can take every one you want.”
WATCH:
Pres. Trump asks French Pres. Macron, “Would you like some nice ISIS fighters? I could give them to you.”
“It is true you have foreign fighters coming from Europe, but this is a tiny minority of the overall problem,” French. Pres. Macron responds. https://t.co/BjZDXzeGPQ pic.twitter.com/hOQ8oFNGVZ
— ABC News (@ABC) December 3, 2019
Macron was not amused by the question, responding, “let’s be serious.”
The French president went on to say that fighters who come from Europe rather than the Middle East are a “tiny” proportion of ISIS, and disputed Trump’s assertion that the terror group has been defeated. Macron said eliminating ISIS is France’s priority.
Trump shot back, “This is why he is a great politician because that was one of the greatest non-answers I have ever heard, and that’s OK.”