Should we reconnect with the tempestuous Republican candidate or not? And if so, let people know or not? These are the questions that several countries are asking themselves recently, and in particular France.
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At the French embassy in Washington, we hesitate: should we go see Donald Trump at his home at Mar-a-Lago? Should the Quai d’Orsay send the Minister of Foreign Affairs, or is it up to the ambassador to the United States to travel to Florida? And if the meeting takes place, should we communicate or remain discreet, so as not to offend the Biden administration?
These questions are currently unanswered on the French side, but they deserve to be asked, in the event of a second term for Trump. Indeed, the polls generally give President Biden and the likely Republican candidate neck and neck in most of the key states in the November election.
A candidate for the presidency of the United States who meets foreign leaders, it’s classic, to try to establish his importance and his skills in foreign policy. Barack Obama did this, for example, during his first candidacy in 2008. The Illinois senator went to Jordan, Israel and Germany, during the summer before the election, to meet foreign leaders.
This year, we are especially looking at those who go to see Trump despite his legal troubles. Some countries have already taken the plunge and established or rekindled relations with the Republican candidate: the Argentinian Milei saw him for example in February, during the conservative convention in Washington. The Hungarian Orban was received in Florida. The Polish Duda recently dined with him at Trump Tower in New York. A discreet interview with the Saudi Ben Salman also took place.
As for the head of British diplomacy and former Prime Minister David Cameron, he made it known loud and clear at the beginning of April that he had been received at Mar-a-Lago.
