World leaders' efforts to 'seduce' Trump

Some world leaders have adopted a "charm offensive" policy, going to great lengths to curry favor with Trump.

The 29-second handshake between Trump and Macron. Video: CNN.

French President Emmanuel Macron and US President Donald Trump – a young, globalist French leader and a 71-year-old president with an “America first” outlook – showed off their friendship on Bastille Day on the Champs-Élysées.

Macron has clearly made a calculated move to show warm friendship with Trump, even though the American leader is unpopular in Europe and has upset the French government by withdrawing from the Paris Agreement on climate change. The French leader wants to ensure the US does not completely separate itself from the rest of the West, according to CNN's Stephen Collinson.

Some world leaders see a “charm offensive” as the best way to approach Trump. Not to criticize or lecture Trump, but to flatter and show respect.

Trump and Macron's dinner on the Eiffel Tower. Video: AP.

So France treated Trump to fine dining at a restaurant dubbed “full of dreams and magic” at the Eiffel Tower, took him to see Napoleon’s tomb, and invited him to attend the Bastille Day parade.

At the end of the trip, Trump showed how much he appreciated the hospitality. Trump tweeted a photo of himself and Macron standing next to each other, chatting while watching the military parade.

Trump posted a photo with Macron on social media. Photo: Twitter.

Trump and Macron may well have developed a genuine friendship that is more than just a show of affection. However, Trump’s recent foreign trips have seen similar signs of wooing from partner countries.

In Saudi Arabia, the US President saw his picture hanging on the hotel wall, he was received with great pomp, invited to participate in a traditional sword dance. He returned home with a gold necklace, the kingdom's highest honor.

"Words cannot express the wonderful hospitality you have shown us," Trump told King Salman.

Trump participates in a traditional sword dance in Saudi Arabia. Video: Reuters.

In Poland, a friendly crowd cheered Trump's foreign policy speech enthusiastically - a contrast to the perception that Europe hates the new US president.

"It's a magnificent country, a spectacular place with the most beautiful landscapes," Trump said of Poland.

The first world leader to pay attention to courting the US President may be Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. Even before Trump took office, Mr. Abe visited Trump Tower and built a good relationship.

Obviously, most countries try to give Air Force One a grand welcome when it lands in their country, regardless of who the president is. But Macron, Polish President Andrzej Duda, and the Saudi royal family have gone to great lengths to curry favor with Trump. It’s not hard to see why.

The Saudis have been frustrated for years by their poor relationship with the Obama administration and their dissatisfaction with the Iran nuclear deal (which eased international sanctions on Iran in exchange for curbs on its nuclear program). Now they have a new friend in the Oval Office.

Polish President Duda's right-wing government shares some of the Trump administration's populist views and is skeptical of EU bureaucracy. It has also tried to make Trump understand the need to guard against Russia.

However, some experts worry that Trump is too vulnerable to influence from other countries.

"Saudi Arabia dazzled Trump's inexperienced negotiators with lavish receptions, arms deals and a World Bank women's fund that Ivanka Trump is pushing," writes CNN's Fareed Zakaria.

In short, Saudi Arabia has gained influence with Trump. The US now supports Saudi Arabia’s Middle East policy.

Mr Abe’s enthusiasm also appears to have paid off. The Japanese delegation was surprised when, during their meeting in Washington in February, Mr Trump made no mention of asking Tokyo to pay more for US troops stationed in Japan – something he had suggested during the campaign.

Macron may be playing a long game, enhancing his and his country's standing by building a friendship with the US president.

“What is unclear is what the US will get in return for all this flattery,” Collinson wrote.

According to VNE