During a press conference with the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, President Macron refused to make any comment about his conversation with Trump, borrowing a quote from the famous 19th-century Prussian statesman, Otto von Bismarck.
“As Bismarck used to say, if we explained to people how sausages were made, it’s unlikely they’d keep eating them. So, I like it when people see the finished meal, but I’m not convinced the kitchen commentary helps with delivering the meal or eating it,” Macron told reporters.
He elaborated that was not going to make any comments on a behind-the-scenes call, adding “Here in Paris, we don’t make comments on how it went, or how hot, cold, warm or terrible things are. We just go ahead and do things.” Macron went on to say that he was looking forward to “useful” and “frank” discussions with his American counterpart at the forthcoming G7 summit.
READ MORE: Trump, Macron Discussed Need to Rebalance Trade With Europe — White House
The bizarre analogy has drawn an avalanche of reactions on social media:
The call came the same day the US announced its decision to introduce a 25 percent tariff on imported steel and a 10 percent tariff on imported aluminum from the EU, Mexico, Canada.
Last week, Macron denounced the imposition of US tariffs on steel and aluminum as “illegal,” calling it a “mistake.”
"This decision is not only illegal; it is a mistake on many points. It is a mistake because it responds to a worldwide imbalance that exists in the worst ways through fragmentations and economic nationalism," Macron stated, adding that "if these kinds of things impacted our relations, it would have been the case since day one because he has decided to leave the Paris (climate) agreement."