Despite the cold weather, things are heating up at the Elysée Palace in Paris.
French president Emmanuel Macron hosted a memorial this weekend to celebrate the centennial of World War I, which ended November 11, 1918. Many world leaders were in attendance, including Russian president Vladimir Putin, German chancellor Angela Merkel, and American president Donald Trump. Amidst rising nationalism in the U.S., France, and elsewhere, Macron gave a rising speech at the memorial denouncing nationalism, saying that a true patriot can never be a nationalist. This was after an irate tweet from the U.S. president saying that he was “insulted” by Macron calling for what he dubbed, “a new European army,” which would protect Europe from “outside threats.”
In a joint press conference at the Elysée Palace, Trump and Macron made nice for the camera, both pledging their support to NATO. But despite an amazing performance in the roles of bromantic leaders, it is clear that this celebration of peace was its own form of cold war.
