SOFT POWER BUILT FROM STONE
Macron and Trump have typically clashed over coverage.
Their relationship has endured partly as a result of Macron understands the facility of non-public consideration, dramatic settings and a well-timed invitation.
Their first assembly in 2017 produced a white-knuckled handshake that immediately grew to become an emblem of their aggressive rapport.
Months later got here dinner contained in the Eiffel Tower and a spot of honour at France’s Bastille Day parade.
Versailles raises the stakes, permitting a French president to wrap a contemporary political encounter within the scale and authority of nationwide historical past.
“It’s soft-power flex based mostly on onerous buildings,” mentioned Denis Lacorne, professor of American research at Sciences Po.
Macron has used the palace earlier than, receiving Russian President Vladimir Putin there in 2017 and later internet hosting King Charles III and Queen Camilla for a state dinner.
Versailles has been a favoured setting for French leaders to honour international friends for over three centuries, the palace instructed The Related Press. It stays “a spot within the service of French diplomacy”.
With Trump, the setting carries added resonance.
The previous actual property developer has lengthy handled structure as a press release of standing, success and energy. In his second time period, he has sought to erect a legacy in stone — with plans for a brand new White Home ballroom and a 76m triumphal arch resembling Paris’ Arc de Triomphe.
