logo
A jab from 33,000 feet cools Trump–Macron ties, but is it just a passing frost?

A jab from 33,000 feet cools Trump–Macron ties, but is it just a passing frost?

Washington Post3 days ago

PARIS — What began with a handshake evolved into turbulence at 33,000 feet as one of diplomacy's oddest relationships took another strange turn.
The political chemistry that once defined the Trump–Macron dynamic — immortalized by a famously tense 29-second handshake in 2017 — was nowhere to be seen in midair Tuesday when U.S. President Donald Trump blasted his French counterpart on social media.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

‘It was a bloodbath': Cruz, Carlson feud offers preview of 2028
‘It was a bloodbath': Cruz, Carlson feud offers preview of 2028

Politico

time20 minutes ago

  • Politico

‘It was a bloodbath': Cruz, Carlson feud offers preview of 2028

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and conservative media personality Tucker Carlson doubled down on their feud over U.S. involvement in the escalating war between Israel and Iran, with each releasing their own podcasts on Friday following up on the fiery debate earlier this week. The ongoing war of words between the two high-profile conservative thought leaders — both of whom have left the door open to a possible 2028 presidential run — could offer a glimpse at what the first Republican presidential primary of the post-Donald Trump era might look like. 'It was a bloodbath,' Cruz said of his appearance on Carlson's podcast on an episode of 'Verdict with Ted Cruz,' the show he hosts. 'The two of us, frankly, beat the living daylights out of each other for two hours straight.' Carlson and Cruz's contentious conversation — in which both men repeatedly shouted at each other and traded personal insults — revealed fissures on the right between pro-Israel Republicans urging the White House to launch an attack on Iran and conservative isolationists who hope the president will uphold his commitment to keep the U.S. out of foreign conflicts. On Friday, both insisted on their respective podcasts that the other was leading the U.S. down the wrong path. Carlson said Cruz's ominous warnings of Iran's nuclear capabilities were part of an effort to 'justify American involvement in regime change.' '[Carlson] has gotten to a place of hardcore isolationism that I think is really dangerous,' Cruz said on his podcast. Cruz and Carlson's disagreement over the U.S.' policy over the escalating conflict in the Middle East will play out in the coming days. Trump told reporters in New Jersey on Friday he's taking 'a period of time' to decide whether to strike Iran, and that the self-imposed two-week timeframe to launch a strike the White House announced on Thursday would be the 'maximum.' But the two men may also find themselves in competing lanes of the 2028 Republican presidential primary, where the intraparty debate between war hawks and isolationists could be a fault line for Republican primary voters. Carlson said he would consider running for president in 2028 in an episode of his podcast last year, while conceding in the same breath, 'I don't think I'd be very good at it.' 'I would do whatever I could to help,' he told fellow conservative podcast host Patrick Bet-David. 'I want to be helpful.' Cruz, who ran for president against Trump in a bitterly-contested 2016 primary that was punctuated with personal attacks, has not closed the door on a 2028 presidential run. When asked about the possibility of running in 2028 by POLITICO in April, Cruz said he's focused on delivering legislative victories for Republicans — even as he uses his new post heading the Senate Commerce Committee to put his stamp on the direction of the party. Perhaps further forecasting another dynamic of the 2028 primary, Trump refused to show a preference for Carlson or Cruz's position, instead offering praise to both men when asked about the interview. 'Tucker is a nice guy. He called and apologized the other day, because he thought he said things that were a little bit too strong, and I appreciated that,' Trump told reporters on Thursday. 'And Ted Cruz is a nice guy. He's been with me for a long time.'

Iran rulers' playing for time is one big reason Trump shouldn't give them any
Iran rulers' playing for time is one big reason Trump shouldn't give them any

New York Post

time24 minutes ago

  • New York Post

Iran rulers' playing for time is one big reason Trump shouldn't give them any

Hmm: Hours after the world learned that President Donald Trump would take 'up to two weeks' to decide whether to send in US warplanes to drop bunker-busters on Fordow, Tehran's last main nuclear site, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi vomited up some fresh bluster. That makes it obvious the regime intends to just string this out for as long as possible, hoping that Europe and/or Congress will somehow get Trump to tell Israel to stop its campaign. Which means the president needs to pay even more heed to the risks of holding off on a decisive intervention. That includes not just the possible loss of public support that's built over the last week, but the chance that some unforeseen development will raise the stakes beyond a straightforward strike on a single nuke site. To be clear, Trump can still hope for a negotiated end to Iran's nuclear program, but Araqchi's ploy reeks of the same bogus game that Hamas has been playing ever since the end of the Gaza ceasefire the prez imposed as he was taking office. A game the Iranian was plainly pushing as he met Friday in Geneva with a passel of European diplos trying to 'de-escalate' the conflict. Meanwhile, some in Congress are maneuvering to tie Trump's hands, insisting he shouldn't act without votes in the House and Sente explicitly authorizing any strikes — a precedent that would likely permanently limit not just this president, but all future holders of the Oval Office. For what it's worth, Trump plainly isn't holding off only because the ayatollah might see reason: He's also considering the full impact of a US strike, and seeing what else may develop. For example: Maybe Israel can take out Fordow without our help, whether with repeated waves of smaller bombs or (conceivably) the most ambitious commando raid ever. He's reportedly also worried about Iran descending into total chaos, as Libya did after President Barack Obama arrogantly decided he could show the world how 'regime change' should be done. Yet that raises another angle that argues against Trump taking his time: Israel's ongoing total humiliation of the Islamic Republic's rulers (and its killing of many of them) could trigger a Libya-style 'regime collapse' even without a Fordow takeout. So a fast elimination of all Tehran's nuclear assets, allowing Israel to stand down, is arguably the best hope for the region to stabilize. Khamenei and his advisers care only about protecting their own power, so they'll use every hour Trump gives them searching for some way out of the trap they put themselves in by ignoring Trump's last deadline. Trump has to look at the bigger picture, including the risks (seen and unseen) of letting Tehran keep playing games.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store