Macron and Biden go head to head over U.S. economy ahead of state dinner
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The Bidens roll out the red carpet for the Macrons: Joe and Jill hug the French president and his wife Brigitte as world leaders prepare to take on ‘super-aggressive’ US climate cuts that ‘will kill jobs’
- Macron and Biden will meet at the White House on Thursday for their state visit
- The French president said on Wednesday that subsidies are “super aggressive.”
- He told lawmakers that climate-friendly policies will “kill a lot of jobs” in Europe
- The climate initiatives in question are part of Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act
- It includes $369 billion in incentives for US companies to build electric cars, batteries, solar panels and wind turbines
President Joe Biden and Jill Biden welcomed French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte to the White House with a hug and a kiss on Thursday.
The two leaders surveyed the troops and exchanged a cordial greeting before going head-to-head on the economy when they meet in the Oval Office.
Macron, like many European leaders, is concerned that Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act, with its subsidies to US manufacturers, will hurt European companies.
The French president even fired an undiplomatic shot at the American president on Wednesday.
An Agence France-Presse reporter heard Macron complain about Biden’s industrial subsidies are ‘super aggressive’ against French competitors.
“This is super aggressive for our business people,” he was heard telling members of Congress and business leaders over lunch.
He told lawmakers the policy will “kill a lot of jobs” in Europe unless it is synchronized globally.
US President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden welcome French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte Macron to the White House
French President Emmanuel Macron wraps his arm around President Joe Biden as they leave restaurant Fiola Mare after a private dinner
It may be one of many problems Macron faces when he arrives at the White House for his one-on-one meeting with Biden.
Biden’s signature climate bill includes $369 billion to address climate change, including billions in incentives to encourage US companies to build electric vehicles, batteries, solar panels and wind turbines.
Macron also told the French community in Washington that the cost of the war in Ukraine was much higher in Europe than in the United States and that Europe risked falling behind if the subsidies siphoned off new investment.
This could “shred the West,” he said.
Macron said earlier this month that the subsidies could improve the “level playing field” for trade with the EU.
European leaders have complained about the legislative package, signed by Biden in August, which provides huge subsidies for US-made products, which they say unfairly disadvantages non-US companies and would be a serious blow to their economies as Europe faces the consequences of Russian invasion of Ukraine in February.
White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said the legislation “offers significant opportunities for European companies and benefits the EU’s energy security” when asked about European concerns.
The IRA has provisions that will contribute to the global growth of the clean energy sector, she added.
Germany and its partners in the European Union are also seeking an out-of-court settlement with the United States on how to deal with the effects of the US Inflation Reduction Act on the bloc’s industry, a spokesman for the German government said Wednesday.
Talks with the US are aimed at clarifying what impact the law will have, and if nothing comes of the talks, then Europe will have to discuss how to proceed, the spokesman told a regular government press conference.
The Bidens and the Macrons had dinner Wednesday night at Fiola Mare — an Italian restaurant on the banks of the Potomac River where an entree costs between $50 and $150. The menu includes a variety of pastas, seafood and cheeses
First Lady Jill Biden and French First Lady Brigitte Macron leave the restaurant together