‘Make our planet great again’: Macron appeals to Trump on Paris accord

WASHINGTON – French President Emmanuel Macron, speaking before a joint session of Congress, warned the US against retreating from the global community.

Macron said the US has a special duty in building the “21st century world order.”

“The United States is the one who invented this multilateralism,” Macron said. “You are the one now who has to preserve and reinvent it.”

He defended major global agreements that President Trump has shunned, including the Paris Climate Agreement and Iran nuclear deal.

Macron acknowledged the “disagreement” he has with Trump, who withdrew the US from the climate pact last year.

“I’m sure one day the United States will come back and join the Paris agreement,” Macron said.

Democrats cheered those remarks, while Republicans were less enthused.

Macron said without a reduction of carbon dioxide emissions and pollution, there will be no more Earth.

“We are killing our planet. Let’s face it, there is no ‘planet B,’” Macron said.

In a unique appeal to Trump, Macron said together they can “make our planet great again!”

The French leader defended the Iran nuclear deal and said France will not withdraw from the agreement.

“We should not abandon it,” Macron said.

He highlighted the joint cooperation needed in Syria, even as Trump has said he wants to withdraw troops.

Macron warned “we are living in a time of anger and fear” and said now the US and France must show that democracy is the path forward.

“We elected officials all share the responsibility to demonstrate that democracy remains the best answer to the questions and doubts that are raised today,” Macron said. “We must stand firmly and fight to make our principles prevail.”

He praised the “unbreakable bonds” between the US and France forged since time of the Revolutionary War through fighting terrorism today.

“Since 1776, we, the American and French people, have had a rendezvous with freedom,” Macron said.

The speech caps a busy three-day visit for Macron that included a tour of Mount Vernon and a state dinner at the White House. Macon has a history with the US, having served as a Young Leader with the French-American Foundation in 2012.

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