The youngest president in French history was given an official dinner by the oldest president in US history, a practical demonstration of Western unity. Dinner hosted by the couple Biden paired with Macron it was brilliant, there were more guests, numbering 339, than others like it. Of the ten official dinners hosted by American presidents at the White House, three were organized in honor of France. This week’s dazzling dinner was preceded by Richard Nixon’s dinner for Georges Pompidou in 1970 with 110 guests and Herbert Hoover’s dinner for Pierre Laval in 1931, attended only by men with cigars.

As expected, the evening was full of references to Franco-American friendship, the close alliance of the two countries, and the need for cooperation. But the “elephant” in the meeting room of the two presidents is named after the IRA, and it’s the Inflation Reduction Act, a law passed by Congress in August to, among other things, boost energy growth. transition. It was a big legislative victory for Joe Biden, but some of his provisions have caused alarm in the industrialized countries of Europe because they stipulate that purchases must be made exclusively by companies based in the United States.

At a joint press conference, many hours before Mrs. Brigitte Macron and Jill Biden put on their toilets and the cream of American society began to arrive at the White House, the American president highlighted the issue. “Of course there will be some minor issues, there will certainly be some compromise changes that need to be made,” Joe Biden said. “We never intended to exclude those we work with.” “American business is coming back, we will continue to create manufacturing jobs, but not at the expense of Europe.” “We have no alternative but cooperation,” Emmanuel Macron insisted. “We want to succeed together, not at each other’s expense.”

The “elephant” in the boardroom of the two leaders is called the IRA, the Accelerated Energy Transition Act.

Regarding the war in Ukraine, the American president noted the joint determination of the United States and France “to hold Russia accountable for their actions.”

“Now that Angela Merkel is gone, and the UK is changing prime ministers like fabrics, Macron looks like the de facto leader of Europe,” the American newspaper Washington Post commented on the results of the official visit.

Le Monde’s verdict was less positive. “After 48 hours, there was no significant progress in the US,” writes the French newspaper. “The US has not accepted the demands of France, there is currently no exception for European industry, as the Élysée had hoped before the visit.” However, the newspaper notes, the official dinner was the “apotheosis”.