President Trump on Tuesday ridiculed French President Emmanuel Macron for wanting to build a European army, and claimed citizens of France would all be speaking German if it wasn’t for the U.S. in World War II.
The Washington Examiner reports:
Macron proposed the creation of a “true European army” to protect itself from the U.S., China and Russia, ahead of Trump’s visit to Paris last week. Trump responded Friday by calling the suggestion “ insulting.”
He followed up In a tweet Tuesday, saying France should be more worried about Germany, based on World War I and World War II.
“They were starting to learn German in Paris before the U.S. came along,” Trump wrote. “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) 13 November 2018
Trump has frequently called on NATO allies to pay more for their defense, saying the U.S. has been taken advantage of and too many countries rely on the U.S. to protect them.
Macron signaled he agreed with Trump in his remarks last week to radio station Europe 1.
“I believe in the project of a sovereign Europe. We won’t protect Europe if we don’t decide to have a true European army. In front of Russia, which is at our borders and which can be threatening, I would like to start a security dialogue with Russia, which is a country I respect and which is European,” Macron said.
“We have to have a Europe that can defend itself alone — and without only relying on the United States — in a more sovereign manner,” he added.
