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‘Macron didn’t fly across the Atlantic just to hang out. He came to Washington on a very specific mission: to stop Trump from doing something dumb’...Trevor Noah
Trevor Noah: ‘Macron didn’t fly across the Atlantic just to hang out. He came to Washington on a very specific mission: to stop Trump from doing something dumb.’ Photograph: Youtube
Trevor Noah: ‘Macron didn’t fly across the Atlantic just to hang out. He came to Washington on a very specific mission: to stop Trump from doing something dumb.’ Photograph: Youtube

Trevor Noah calls Emmanuel Macron 'the Belle to Trump's Beast'

This article is more than 5 years old

Comics, including Stephen Colbert, Trevor Noah and Jimmy Kimmel, discussed Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte’s White House visit

Late-night hosts on Tuesday discussed the visit of the French president, Emmanuel Macron, and his wife Brigitte to the White House, which included the pair attending Trump’s first state dinner.

Trevor Noah

Comedy Central’s Trevor Noah also focused on the Macrons’ visit to DC.

“It’s President Trump’s first state dinner,” Noah said. “If you don’t know, a state dinner is basically a full, formal evening. The president hosts the event at the White House and it’s in honor of a visiting foreign leader.”

Noah went on: “It’s no accident that the French president is getting the honor of being Trump’s first state dinner guest, because from the very beginning, while other leaders seemed to clash with Trump, Macron was the Belle to Trump’s Beast.”

Noah then showed news coverage in which Macron is referred to as the “Trump whisperer”, having apparently convinced Trump to take action in Syria while frequently invoking their countries’ “special relationship”.

“All this fun aside, Macron didn’t fly across the Atlantic just to hang out,” Noah explained. “He came to Washington on a very specific mission: to stop Trump from doing something dumb.”

"We all know Trump is not the sentimental type, but Macron made him feel a way he's never felt before: human."

Donald Trump hosts French President Macron at the White House: https://t.co/CbZNmGtbij pic.twitter.com/RbwJmiIBX4

— The Daily Show (@TheDailyShow) April 25, 2018

The mission, specifically, is being referred to as Operation Save the Iran Deal, as Macron is attempting to convince Trump not to pull out of the agreement reached in 2015 between Iran and world powers such as France, the United States, Germany, the United Kingdom, Russia and China.

“This deal is the only reason that Iran is not advancing its nuclear program,” Noah added. “If America backs out, it’ll even further destabilize the Middle East. This is really sticky for Macron, because he has to try and save the Iran deal while also making it seem like Trump is getting what he wants.”

But Macron, Noah said, “has the recipe for handling Trump,” since as a former investment banker “he’s an expert in dealing with egotistical rich people”.

Stephen Colbert

“I have broken out the French accent because tonight Donald Trump is hosting a menage-a-France with French president and home-wrecking masseur, Emmanuel Macron,” Stephen Colbert began. “It is Trump’s first state dinner and, in a major departure from tradition, Trump will not invite Democrats or the media.

“Macron brought a gift for Trump, a young oak tree, and yesterday Trump and Macron planted it on the White House lawn together,” the host said, showing footage of the Trumps and Macrons shoveling dirt. “All that shoveling is great practice for when Trump has to hide Michael Cohen’s body.”

Colbert went on to joke about the now-viral footage of first lady Melania Trump resisting her husband’s attempts to hold her hand. “She is not having it,” he said. “He’s like trying to arouse a dead trout. You can’t blame her, though. She watches 60 Minutes. She knows where that hand has been.

“There is one relationship that Trump thinks is really strong,” the host continued, showing Trump and Macron in the Oval Office speaking to the press before the president abruptly stops to announce he is removing “that little piece of dandruff” from Macron’s shoulder.

“Mr President: Macron is still standing next to you smiling after hanging out with you for two days,” Colbert quipped. “That’s not dandruff. That’s cocaine!”

Jimmy Kimmel

Finally, Jimmy Kimmel also weighed in on the upcoming state dinner and the state of relations between Macron and Trump.

“This is the first official state visit since Donald Trump took office,” Kimmel said, “and the Trumps welcomed the Macrons to the White House today, where much affection was shared.”

Kimmel showed footage of President Trump leaning in to kiss his wife Melania, who wore a large white hat that made it difficult to do so. “That’s her special Donald-proof sombrero,” Kimmel joked.

“Trump very much needs a friend, because most of his old ones are going to prison,” the host continued. “And Macron is looking to improve his country’s standing in the world, and the United States can help with this. So these two meet each other, and Donald Trump really cannot keep his hands off this guy.”

The host went on to show more footage from the event, in which Trump and Macron shared several extended handshakes and more than once exchanged friendly kisses on the cheek.

“Macron is like, ‘Melania, can I borrow your hat for a minute?’” Kimmel added. “He gave him the full Stormy Daniels there.”

The host eventually covered the awkward moment when Trump appeared to remove dandruff from Macron’s suit. “That’s really what orangutans do, they groom each other,” Kimmel said, noting that “a little touch of dandruff-shaming didn’t put their love-fest to an end”.

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