Donald Trump took to Twitter on Saturday to deliver a rebuke to Emmanuel Macron, chastising the French president's ideas of a pan-European army and divisive environmental policies.
Trump scolded Macron for his proposal to create a single European army so that Europe would have a greater military autonomy. The 45th POTUS has repeatedly claimed that many NATO members have not been dishing out enough cash for the alliance's needs.
"The idea of a European Military didn't work out too well in WWI or WWII. But the US was there for you, and always will be. All we ask is that you pay your fair share of NATO," he added.
The idea of a European Military didn’t work out too well in W.W. I or 2. But the U.S. was there for you, and always will be. All we ask is that you pay your fair share of NATO. Germany is paying 1% while the U.S. pays 4.3% of a much larger GDP — to protect Europe. Fairness!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) 8 декабря 2018 г.
This echoed Trump's previous criticism of Macron's proposed military reforms. The US President mocked France's WW2 record in mid-November, saying that Parisians were "starting to learn German in Paris before G.I. emerged in the European theatre.
Trump, on top of having withdrawn the United States from the 2015 Paris climate agreement, also claimed that Macron's commitment to the environmental cause ignited ongoing large-scale protests against a fuel tax hike in France.
"People do not want to pay large sums of money, much to third world countries (that are questionably run), in order to maybe protect the environment," he said.
The Paris Agreement isn’t working out so well for Paris. Protests and riots all over France. People do not want to pay large sums of money, much to third world countries (that are questionably run), in order to maybe protect the environment. Chanting “We Want Trump!” Love France.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) 8 декабря 2018 г.
Emmanuel Macron has found himself in the centre of public outrage after he proposed to increase the carbon tax, which would entail a rise in fuel prices. This triggered protests numbering in tens of thousands, which eventually forced him to scrap his plans.
