Trump’s ‘America First’ collides with Macron’s ‘Europe First’ in face-off over Western dominance

By Fox News · Fox News

From the start, Emmanuel Macron believed he could manage Donald Trump. In private conversations with European counterparts early in Trump’s first term, Macron reportedly boasted that he could "handle" the American president — flatter him, reason with him and keep him inside the Western fold. For a time, it worked: Trump was treated to a red-carpet Bastille Day parade in Paris and called the young French leader a "great friend." But the relationship soon turned into a running spectacle. The two leaders’ chemistry has always mixed cooperation with rivalry. TRUMP’S SWIPE AT ‘WEAK’ LEADERS HIGHLIGHTS THE SHIFTING GLOBAL INFLUENCE OF WESTERN NATIONS Macron’s sparring with Trump is more than personality — it’s projection. Each clash, phone call or quip feeds a larger mission: to show that Europe can act like a power again. As Trump reasserts "America First," Macron is trying to define what "Europe First" might look like — an alliance that can stand up to Washington, Moscow or Beijing without flinching. While the U.S. plans to boycott the 2025 G-20 leaders’ summit because South Africa is hosting, Macron is visiting Johannesburg — a sign of his willingness to go where Washington won’t. Earlier in the week, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Macron signed a deal for Kyiv to buy 100 French Rafale jets instead of U.S.-made fighters, a move that underscored France’s push for European defense autonomy and sidelined American manufacturers at a politically sensitive moment. "Zelenskyy slaps the face of a nation that saved him," said former Rep. Mike Garcia, a U.S. Navy fighter pilot. "After receiving nearly $180 billion in American aid, including free aircraft, Zelenskyy turns to others when it’s time for Ukraine to actually pay for weapons systems." Before that, Macron recognized a Palestinian state at the United Nations General Assembly over U.S. objections, prompting Trump to accuse him of "honoring Hamas." "As if to encourage continued conflict, some of this body is…