On Sunday night, Emmanuel Macron was re-elected as French President and declined to take a phone call from Joe Biden, instead pawning his call off to members of his staff.
Biden admitted this snub to reporters in Washington D.C., saying “I tried to talk to [Macron] last night. I spoke to his staff and he was at the Eiffel Tower having a good time. And I’m going to be talking to him today.”
WATCH:
Pres. Biden says he feels "good” about French Pres. Emmanuel Macron’s reelection.
“I tried to talk to him last night. We spoke with his staff but he was at the Eiffel Tower having a good time. So I’m going to be talking to him today.” https://t.co/dnrT8W5wXz pic.twitter.com/4aVXiQniQH
— ABC News Politics (@ABCPolitics) April 25, 2022
Since Biden was only able to reach Macron’s staff, he instead Tweeted his congratulations to the French President, writing,
“Congratulations to @EmmanuelMacron on his re-election. France is our oldest ally and a key partner in addressing global challenges. I look forward to our continued close cooperation – including on supporting Ukraine, defending democracy, and countering climate change.”
According to a statement from the White House, Biden was able to make contact with Macron on Monday, after being ignored initially.
The French President declining to take a call from the U.S. President should not be the new normal for international relations, however, this is to be expected from Biden, who continuously struggles to get world leaders to respond to his contact attempts.
As The Wall Street Journal reported, “Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al Nahyan of the United Arab Emirates both declined calls from Biden last month regarding oil exports.”