It’s been more than ten years since a French President addressed the US Congress. The last person to receive this honor was Nicolas Sarkozy, in 2007. Emmanuel Macron may well be the next.
House of Representatives speaker Paul Ryan officially invited the French president to address both houses of the US Congress on April 25, on the occasion of his State visit scheduled to begin on April 23.
“France is not only our oldest ally, but one of our strongest,” explained Ryan in a statement. “This is a special opportunity to build on the historic relationship between our countries, and to reaffirm our commitment to defeating terror both domestically and around the world.”
Emmanuel Macron would be the eighth French president to partake in this symbolic tradition, which aims to underline the friendship between two nations. The practice began on December 10, 1824 with another Frenchman: Marquis de Lafayette.
In taking the podium at the Capitol, the French president would nix a possible trip to New Orleans, a Francophone city celebrating its tricentennial and one of the potential destinations for Macron during his State visit. “We do not expect a visit from President Macron,” confirmed the organizers of the tricentennial festivities in an e-mail.
