Emmanuel Macron faced an embarrassing situation this week when New York City police stopped his car and made him wait on the roadside so that President Donald Trump’s motorcade could pass. The awkward situation that took place on Monday compelled the European leader to get out of his car and walk, and even call Trump for help.
Macron was left stranded on a road moments after he left the UN headquarters in the Big Apple. A bizarre video captured the French president pleading with an NYPD officer to at least let his car through, moments after he had delivered a controversial speech at the United Nations, French outlet Brut reported.
Trump First, You Later
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“I’m really sorry, Mr. President, everything is currently blocked,” the NYPD officer can be heard telling Macron, who then tries to persuade him to allow his car through—at least if Trump’s motorcade isn’t coming by right away.
Looking flustered, Macron pulled out his phone and appeared to ring Trump directly.
“How are you? Guess what, I’m waiting in the street because everything is closed for you,” he said with a laugh, appearing to joke with his American counterpart.
Macron ended up walking for the next half hour to his destination through the busy streets of Manhattan. He appeared to take the awkward moment in good spirits, smiling and stopping for photos with curious onlookers, according to Brut.
At one point, a man posing for a picture even bent down and kissed Macron on the head, prompting his startled security detail to jump in—until the French president calmly waved them off.
“No, no, it’s okay, guys,” he said to his minders, before laughing again.
Left Embarrassed
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During his visit to New York, Macron formally announced that France now recognizes the “State of Palestine” at the UN. He joined Australia, Canada, the UK, and Portugal, which had all made similar moves in recent days.
While mostly symbolic, the decision is meant to step up pressure on Israel to work toward ending the war in Gaza.
Macron’s awkward New York moment came just after new polling showed his approval at the lowest point since he took office in 2017.
According to an Ifop survey for Le Journal du Dimanche, only 17% of French people now back the president.
The grim numbers were released a day after nearly a million workers and anti-austerity protesters flooded the streets to voice their anger over how Macron is handling the economy.
