February 24 was marked by a remarkable meeting in the White House between French president Emmanuel Macron and US president Donald Trump, an event that showed the increasing distance between the two countries.

The meeting, initially a discussion on Ukraine, European security and trade, became quite controversial after Macron corrected Trump about the financial aid sent to Ukraine by the European Union. When the Republican said that Europe has been loaning money to Ukraine, therefore expecting it to be paid back, Macron politely interrupted him – by putting a hand on his arm. He clarified that Europe “paid 60% of the total effort and it was – like the US – loans, guarantees, grants”.

Another tricky moment came when Macron said that, despite Trump’s earlier suggestion, peace in Ukraine should not come at the cost of Ukraine’s surrender.

Among other questions that arise after this meeting, there is one that is particularly interesting in today’s France.

Between May 2022 and January 2025, the French president’s popularity declined by 12% (from 48% to 36%) among the 18–24 age group. So, did Macron’s behaviour during this encounter and the days that followed change the attitude of French citizens towards him? Did it raise or lower him in the eyes of the country?

What do the French think?

Harbingers’ Magazine interviewed people in the streets of Nice, France to discover their impressions of Macron’s approach while the US enforces a trade war against its strongest allies and diminishes their efforts in Russia’s war against Ukraine.

According to one interviewee, the US president doesn’t have enough qualifications in the eyes of the French, as he is all about “getting the deal done fast”, while Macron is playing the “long game”. The same person said that Macron understands world politics better: “He knows that peace without structure and security guarantees is just a pause, not a resolution.”

Harbingers’ observed that some people want the French president to act, not just talk about acting. Eighteen-year-old Sofia Petrenko commented: “Problems are not solved simply by words.” Another person thought this tactic does not work well enough, saying: “He [Macron] has been talking to Putin and Zelensky for years now without much success.”

Regarding France’s influence in the war between Russia and Ukraine now that the US is – controversially – changing its approach, one woman said:

Nonetheless, some French people think that France is a peacekeeper in this conflict. Margot Marchand said that France can “help those two countries [Russia and Ukraine] to find an agreement and to make sure everyone finds peace”.

What seems to be a popular thought is that, under Macron, France is trying to reaffirm its geopolitical power. One pedestrian said, approvingly: “He’s trying to get Europe to act like an actual geopolitical power, not just follow Washington’s lead.”