President Trump unleashed a new round of Twitter rage Tuesday morning, this time aimed at French President Emmanuel Macron, whom he visited in Paris over Veterans’ Day weekend.
In one tweet, the president appears to mock France for having been invaded by Nazi Germany some 80 years ago.
“Emmanuel Macron suggests building its own army to protect Europe against the U.S., China and Russia,” he wrote. “But it was Germany in World Wars One & Two – How did that work out for France? They were starting to learn German in Paris before the U.S. came along. Pay for NATO or not!”
Emmanuel Macron suggests building its own army to protect Europe against the U.S., China and Russia. But it was Germany in World Wars One & Two – How did that work out for France? They were starting to learn German in Paris before the U.S. came along. Pay for NATO or not!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 13, 2018
Trump appears to be eating his own words. Just the day before, in another stream of attacks on Twitter, Trump declared, “It is time that these very rich countries either pay the United States for its great military protection, or protect themselves.”
The specific attacks on France seem to be a response to Macron’s remarks during an Armistice Day celebration on Sunday. “Nationalism is a betrayal of patriotism,” he said, indirectly rebuking Trump’s recent embrace of the term. “Nationalism is a betrayal of patriotism by saying, ‘Our interest first, who cares about the others?'”
Macron also warned of modern political trends that threaten the “legacy of peace” that followed World War II. “I know there are old demons coming back to the surface,” he said. “They are ready to wreak chaos and death.”
In the United States as in other countries, those old demons include Nazis and other variations of white nationalists, modern iterations of whom strongly support nationalist leaders like Trump and whom Trump has praised in return. When white supremacists rallied in Charlottesville last year, for instance — one of them even murdering a counter-protester by driving into a crowd with his car — Trump insisted there were “very fine people” on both sides of the demonstration.
Trump followed up his initial tweet Tuesday morning with additional tweets encouraging the rise of his own brand of nationalism in France.
The problem is that Emmanuel suffers from a very low Approval Rating in France, 26%, and an unemployment rate of almost 10%. He was just trying to get onto another subject. By the way, there is no country more Nationalist than France, very proud people-and rightfully so!……..
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 13, 2018
……MAKE FRANCE GREAT AGAIN!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 13, 2018
Many were quick to point out that France is an odd target to mock for requiring outside military assistance, considering it was France who helped the United States win the Revolutionary War.
Of all the countries to taunt about how the American military came to their assistance, France is a particularly ironic choice.
You know what country depended on military aid from France in order to ensure its very existence?
— Philip Bump (@pbump) November 13, 2018
Trump’s attacks on France and its national security happen to fall on the three-year anniversary of a deadly extremist attack in Paris that killed 130 people.