In a moment straight out of political satire, French President Emmanuel Macron found himself temporarily stranded on a New York City sidewalk Monday night, thanks to none other than President Donald Trump’s motorcade.
As world leaders converged on Manhattan for the annual United Nations General Assembly, traffic lockdowns became the norm. But Macron did not just wait quietly behind the barricade like everyone else. When a New York City police officer stopped him mid-crossing, the French president took matters into his own hands; and dialed up Trump directly.
“Guess what — I’m waiting in the street because everything is frozen for you,” Macron said with a laugh, according to a video circulating on social media.
The officer, visibly flustered, apologised to Macron and his entourage: “I’m sorry, Mister President. It’s just that everything’s frozen right now. There’s a motorcade coming.”
Macron responded with a grin and a diplomatic jab: “If you don’t see it, let me cross. I negotiate with you.”
Clearly not just in the mood for jokes, Macron also used the impromptu call to mention he’d like to have a quick discussion with Trump and Qatar about the situation in Gaza.
Even global leaders get stuck behind traffic, they just have more interesting people to call about it.