Former French President François Hollande said in a recent interview that President Donald Trump and his administration are "no longer" allies.
When asked to analyze Trump’s first few weeks back in the Oval Office, Hollande did not hold back on criticisms.
In a blunt interview with French news outlet Le Monde, Hollande, who left office in 2017, said, "Even if the American people remain our friends, the Trump administration itself is no longer our ally." The former French leader also accused Trump of "making pacts with our adversaries."
Hollande asserts that Trump sees the U.S., Russia and China as the "only three powers that count," and that for the U.S. president, "Europe no longer exists." The former French leader also argued that Trump’s "real target" is Europe, not China, leading Hollande to believe that a U.S.-European "divorce" is on the horizon.
The former French leader cites Trump’s decision to call Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy a "dictator," combined with his willingness to hold direct talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin and the U.S. vote against a U.N. resolution condemning Russia, as reasons for this potential "divorce."
When it comes to NATO, Hollande says it’s time for the alliance to prepare for the possibility of Trump not complying with Article 5, which states that an attack on any NATO nation is an attack on all. This obligates all NATO nations to come to the aid of the one that suffers an armed attack.
While the Trump administration has made a push for European nations to step up their defense and take more action on their own continent, there is no indication that the U.S. is planning to remove itself from the alliance.
Hollande has long been a critic of Trump. In 2016, while he was still in office, Hollande urged the American people to back Hillary Clinton and said Trump would be "dangerous" and "complicate relations between Europe and the U.S."
On Monday, Trump met with Hollande’s successor, French President Emmanuel Macron. After the two participated in a call with Group of Seven (G7) leaders, Trump said that "a lot of progress has been made" toward ending the war in Ukraine. Additionally, Trump said Macron is a "special man," and the U.S. wants to keep its "very special" relationship with France "going for a long period of time."
Macron described himself and Trump as "personal friends."
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"And, I'm here as well, after discussions with all my colleagues, to say that Europe is willing to step up to be a stronger partner, to do more in defense and security for this continent, and as well to be a reliable partner and to be engaged in trade, economy, investment," Macron said.
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