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US News

Biden says Macron didn’t take his election-night call, talked to staff instead

By
Steven Nelson
Published April 25, 2022
Updated April 25, 2022, 4:36 p.m. ET

President Biden said Monday that French President Emmanuel Macron didn’t come to the phone when he called to congratulate him on his landslide reelection.

Biden said he spoke with Macron’s staff instead on Sunday night as the French president partied at the Eiffel Tower — requiring the US president to call back Monday.

“I feel good about the French election,” Biden said as he returned to DC from a weekend trip home to Delaware. “I tried to talk to him last night. I spoke to his staff and he was at the Eiffel Tower having a good time. And I’m going to be talking to him today.”

Presidential calls to foreign leaders typically are arranged by White House staff to avoid unscripted or embarrassing moments for the leader of the world’s sole superpower.

Biden reached Macron on Monday before hosting the Stanley Cup championship-winning Tampa Bay Lightning team on the White House lawn.

Joe Biden.
President Biden said he spoke with French President Emmanuel Macron’s staff instead as Macron celebrated his re-election at the Eiffel Tower. Stefani Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images

Biden “spoke today with President Emmanuel Macron of France to congratulate him on his re-election,” the White House said in a statement.

“He underscored the close and enduring relations between the United States and France, our oldest ally, based on shared democratic values, economic ties, and security cooperation,” the statement said. “President Biden conveyed his readiness to continue working closely with President Macron on our shared global priorities.” 

Macron’s victory was touted by White House chief of staff Ron Klain on Twitter as reason for Democrats to feel hopeful ahead of this year’s midterm elections, which Republicans are favored to win.

Emmanuel Macron.
President Emmanuel Macron’s victory was touted by White House chief of staff Ron Klain as reason for Democrats to feel hopeful ahead of this year’s midterm elections. Aurelien Meunier/Getty Images

Klain noted that Macron won despite a 36 percent approval rating — versus Biden’s 40 percent approval. But commentators pointed out that the French generally give their presidents much lower marks in polls than US voters do.

It’s not the first time a foreign leader spurned Biden’s outreach. The Wall Street Journal reported last month that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and the UAE Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al Nahyan declined to speak with Biden about boosting oil exports to offset price hikes linked to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.