Former President Donald Trump told Fox News host Tucker Carlson on Tuesday that French President Emmanuel Macron got too friendly with China during a recent visit to Beijing.
Macron made a three-day state visit to China in early April, during which he met with Chinese President Xi Jinping and made numerous public remarks that were characterized in western media as overly sympathetic to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and contrary to European interests.
Trump, in an interview with Carlson, derided his “friend” for sucking up to China.
TRUMP: “Macron, who’s a friend of mine, is over with China, kissing [President Xi’s] ass!” pic.twitter.com/C7X0RJgKjf
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) April 12, 2023
“And Macron, who’s a friend of mine, is over with China kissing [Xi’s] ass in China, okay. I said, ‘France is now going to China?'” Trump exclaimed.
Trump paid Xi several personal compliments during the interview, calling him a “brilliant man” with “the look, the brain, the whole thing,” but has taken a harsh stance toward China politically, both in and out of office. (RELATED: LEAKED DOCS: New Chinese Hypersonic Missile Has ‘High Probability’ Of Penetrating US Defenses)
Macron drew backlash during his trip for saying that Europe shouldn’t get “caught up in crises that are not ours,” such as the brewing conflict between China and Taiwan, in contrast to the United States, which has made protecting Taiwan from Chinese invasion a top priority. Macron went on to say that France and Europe cannot be viewed as “followers” taking cues from Washington.
The French president also remarked that Europe needs to pursue “strategic autonomy” to become a third global superpower on part with the United States and China.