Trump brands Macron “nasty, insulting and disrespectful” ahead of NATO’s 70th birthday summit.

Wednesday, 4th December 2019

Happy Birthday, NATO. Or maybe not. As leaders of NATO’s Member States gathered just outside London for a special NATO Summit commemorating the 70th year since its formation, the mood was not as cheery as you might expect. Before proceedings formally kicked-off, President Trump sparked debate when he branded President Macron of France as “nasty, insulting and disrespectful”. These comments came after Mr Trump was made aware that Mr Macron had declared NATO to be “brain dead” last month. Mr Macron’s remarks were not received at all well by Mr Trump who went on to make thinly-veiled criticisms through references to France’s “very high unemployment rate” and ending with the proclamation that “nobody needs NATO more than France.” At a joint press conference with the two men later on, tensions were still high and peaked during a conversation about terrorism – specifically in relation to Syria. “Would you like some nice fighters? You can take everyone you want" Mr Trump asked in what is now a trademark, non-textbook fashion, referencing IS power in the region. Adopting a far more business-like tone, Mr Macron said that IS fighters from Europe were “a tiny minority” and that getting rid of the terrorist group was the priority. Mr Trump’s response to this was to openly accuse Mr Macron of moving away from the issue. “This is why he is a great politician because that was one of the greater non-answers I have ever heard, and that's OK". Going further, Mr Trump also emphasised spending disparities between NATO Member States and hinted that he would take steps to address these disparities saying “maybe I'll deal with them from a trade standpoint.” On this point, Mr Macron struck a more conciliatory tone saying that the US had “overinvested” in NATO and making the commitment that France would spend 2% of its GDP on defence in order to reach the minimum standard expected of NATO Members. But there was another sticking point with regards to Turkey. Turkey – another NATO Member – has purchased a missile from Russia leading Mr Macron to ask “[H]ow is it possible to be a member of the alliance... and buy things from Russia?” Turkey’s attitude towards the YPG (a group part of Syrian Democratic Forces that have been a vital part of the coalition against IS) also brought to light some friction between France and the US. President Erdogan of Turkey has called for the YPG to be defined as a terrorist group by NATO but Member States have been very hesitant to accept this call. President Macron most has been the most vociferous critic saying that “we don’t have the same definition of terrorism” and questioning the legitimacy of Turkey “fighting against those who fought with us shoulder to shoulder” against IS. He also seemed to be accusing Mr Trump of having a narrow focus by saying “if we just have discussions about what we pay and we don't have clear discussions about such a situation, we are not serious." Mr Erdogan has explicitly stated that Turkey “will stand against any step” that will be taken with regards to a new strategic defence plan to protect Poland, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia from Russia unless the YPG is defined as a terrorist group. You’d have thought that the fiery press conference would have been the end of it. All that remained was attending a reception at Buckingham Palace hosted by Her Majesty the Queen. Surely nothing could go wrong there. Except, it did. The following morning, footage emerged showing President Macron, President Trudeau of Canada along with the Prime Minister of the UK, Boris Johnson seemingly mocking Mr Trump and his impromptu behavior. At their press conferences on the second day of the summit, Mr Johnson said he “didn’t know” about the incident and Mr. Macron declined to speak about it on the grounds that it was a private conversation that shouldn’t have been recorded. Mr Trudeau shrugged off the incident saying “I've had a number of good conversations with the President over the course of this day and yesterday” and explained his comment that Trump’s teams “jaws dropped to the floor” was in reference to Trump’s decision to hold the next summit at Camp David. Mr Trump chose not to hold a press conference following the conclusion of the Summit but he did brand Mr Trudeau “two-faced”. There is no doubt then, that NATO has a number of internal issues and that its leaders are not all on the same page. While Boris Johnson’s resounding call of “all for one and one for all” may signal unity akin to the NATO principles from 70 years ago, it is clear that NATO today is a complex melting pot of different ideas, personalities and objectives. How it deals with its challenges remains to be seen but on its 70th birthday, there’s a sense between members of others trying to have their cake and eat it.