Trump vs Macron: A clash of worldviews Expert opinions on Caliber.Az

In his interview with Fox News, Donald Trump did not miss the opportunity to direct sharp criticism at the official Paris, whose policies the U.S. president has previously expressed scepticism toward.

The White House chief, once again assuring that the American government would not prevent Chinese students from studying in the United States, emphasised, “I want to get along with the world.”

In response to this remark, the host pointed out that the Chinese are “not the French,” claiming that the Chinese authorities “spy on us” and “ steal our intellectual property.”

The American president replied literally as follows: “Do you think the French are better, really? I will tell you, I’m not so sure. We've had a lot of problems with the French where we get taxed unfairly on our technology, where you know they put 25 percent taxes on American products.”

What is the purpose of such rhetoric toward France’s policies, and how likely is it that relations between the White House and the Élysée Palace will escalate to a new level of tension? Caliber.Az addressed this question to international political analysts.

According to Israeli international affairs expert, Americanist, and Rabbi Mikhail Finkel, the tension between Donald Trump and Emmanuel Macron is rooted not merely in political rivalry, but in a fundamental divergence of views on the structure of society, the value system, and the role of the state.

“If we analyse the situation, it becomes clear that Trump categorically rejects Macron’s political philosophy. The French president represents the interests of global leftist elites, and everything he advocates—from approaches to social policy to cultural norms—directly contradicts the ideology of Trump, the Republicans, and conservative circles in America,” he said.

The expert also emphasised that Macron is a representative of far-left views and a proponent of a progressive, but largely disruptive, ideology for traditional foundations: “He does not share traditional Christian values and does not embrace the principles of the Abrahamic religions. He is a person far removed from what Trump and his supporters—conservative Christians, evangelicals, and Protestants—believe in. If, for the U.S. president, family means a union of a man and a woman, then for Macron and his circle, such definitions are no longer mandatory. He and his elites promote ideas where, instead of a father and mother, there are ‘parent one’ and ‘parent two.’ This is symbolic, but it is an extremely telling difference in worldview,” Finkel noted.

According to him, similar contradictions are evident in migration policy: “Trump consistently fought against illegal immigration, declared war on undocumented migrants, and deported them from the U.S., cleansing the country of millions of people residing illegally, who often become sources of crime, drug trafficking, and social instability. Macron, by contrast, has made France open to millions of illegal migrants from Africa and the Middle East, effectively turning the country into a refuge for those unwilling to adapt to European culture and way of life.”

He also pointed out that even the French authorities cannot accurately assess the number of undocumented migrants: “Recently, the French Interior Minister was caught off guard on a talk show when asked about the number of illegal migrants. He spoke of half a million, although six months ago he had mentioned around five million. That means four and a half million people simply ‘disappeared.’ This is a clear indication of chaos and the ineffectiveness of Macron’s policies.”

The expert believes that such an open-door approach and indifference to integration challenges are driving the Fifth Republic toward a serious crisis.

“In France, entire districts have emerged where African or Middle Eastern laws, rather than French ones, prevail, where people live by their own rules and see no need to follow French laws. These migrants do not strive to work, preferring to live off social benefits, exploiting a system created for the native population. This leads to the degradation of social structures and the erosion of national identity,” he noted.

Finkel believes that Trump sees these developments as an example of Europe’s ideological decline and views Macron as a symbol of the policies he seeks to combat.

“This is not simply a matter of political disagreements—it is a clash of worldviews. Trump stands for conservative, traditional, family-oriented, and religious values, and for a state that protects its citizens. Macron represents a globalist approach with the weakening of national identity, the erasure of borders, and the dominance of bureaucracy and political correctness,” the expert emphasised.

He also added that Trump and Macron have fundamentally different approaches to geopolitics.

“Trump is a pragmatist. He acts in the interests of the United States and is capable of reaching agreements even with China—a country with a one-party system and strict control—because China also acts rationally. Their ideologies differ, but they share common economic interests. With France, Trump has no common ground, because Macron is guided not by pragmatism, but by ideology. France is, in essence, heading toward catastrophe—demographically, culturally, and economically. Paradoxically, the country liberated by American soldiers from Nazism in 1944 shows disregard for America, Anglo-Saxon culture, and the English language. Macron is steering France toward a path where it loses itself. Trump sees this and wants to minimise Paris’s role, led by Macron and his leftist elites. He cannot accept policies that destroy traditions, the family institution, and faith—the very foundations, in his view, of the civilised world,” said Finkel.

Meanwhile, according to a Belarusian political analyst, PhD in political science, and Francophone expert, Borislav Osinchuk, President Donald Trump’s sharp statement against France demonstrates that Washington has shifted to an offensive stance.

“Trump is not interested in encouraging European liberal thought or the independence of European politicians. Meanwhile, Macron does not hide that he is trying to lead European policy and, in many ways, position it in opposition to Washington. He is haunted by nostalgia for strong French presidents, whom he wishes to emulate, but, alas, he fails to live up to that role.

The most amusing part is that the French president attempted to lead a movement against Washington while France itself was mired in a swamp of problems. For several years now, he has been trying to pull the country out of a severe economic deadlock, changing governments like gloves, yet the strategy clearly yields no results. Meanwhile, Europe has also recognised Macron’s weakness as a politician and has stopped paying attention to him.

Trump—a skilled pragmatist and strong politician—also recognises the blatant populism in Macron’s policies, which, in essence, lack a core and a clear direction. In this sense, we see that the policies of Beijing, with which Trump apparently managed to reach agreements on many points, earn the American president’s considerable respect, while France stagnates both politically and economically, yet somehow claims all-European leadership.

Therefore, the White House chief has no intention of showing indulgence toward Paris; he is fully prepared to punish Macron for his overreaching ambitions. How serious this ‘political spanking’ will be—whether prolonged or brief—is hard to say. However, at the very least, Trump is always ready to troll Macron, and he makes no secret of it,” stated Osinchuk.