Handshakes and kisses aside, some issues split Trump, Macron

Macron is the first guest of the Trump administration to be honoured with a state visit. During a joint news conference Tuesday, he said the U.S. and France together would defeat terrorism, curtail weapons of mass destruction in North Korea and Iran, and work on behalf of the planet — a reference to Macron’s effort to revive the U.S. role in the Paris climate accord to fight global warming. (Photo By US Embassy France – https://www.facebook.com/usdos.france/posts/10154960442781374, Public Domain)

WASHINGTON — There were handshakes and a few kisses, but President Donald Trump and French President Emmanuel Macron’s sunny friendship didn’t outshine their differences.

Macron is the first guest of the Trump administration to be honoured with a state visit. During a joint news conference Tuesday, he said the U.S. and France together would defeat terrorism, curtail weapons of mass destruction in North Korea and Iran, and work on behalf of the planet — a reference to Macron’s effort to revive the U.S. role in the Paris climate accord to fight global warming.

Trump remained critical of American undertakings in Iran and elsewhere in the Middle East. But he appeared open to Macron’s pleas to maintain U.S. involvement in Syria, and he expressed openness to negotiating a new agreement with Iran.