Trump brushes 'dandruff' off Macron's shoulder to 'make him perfect'

President Donald Trump has spent much of his French counterpart’s visit this week talking up the pair's close relationship — so close, in fact, that Trump brushed what he described as a piece of dandruff off Emmanuel Macron’s shoulder on Tuesday “to make him perfect.”

“We have a very special relationship, in fact I’ll get that little piece of dandruff off," Trump said during a brief appearance with the White House press pool. "We have to make him perfect — he is perfect.”


While the gesture may have been an attempt at a power move on Trump's part, Macron seemed to take the televised moment in stride, smiling and chuckling as the U.S. president brushed off his shoulder and lapel.

At least publicly, the two presidents have praised their unlikely friendship since their first meeting last summer. After pointing often during the 2016 campaign to France as an example of the dangers of lax immigration policies, Trump has spoken glowingly of his visit to Paris last summer and has reportedly sought a military parade in Washington like the one he attended for France’s Bastille Day.

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The two leaders, however, are set for tense talks during this week's visit, particularly on Iran. Macron is eager for the United States to stay in the Iran deal brokered, in part, by former President Barack Obama, while Trump has heavily criticized the agreement. Earlier on Tuesday, with Macron by his side, Trump blasted the deal as “insane” and “ridiculous."

Despite that friction, the presidents and their wives are also finding time for entertainment during the visit. After Macron’s arrival on Monday, the two leaders had dinner at former President George Washington’s Mount Vernon estate in nearby Virginia. Trump will host Macron Tuesday night for a state dinner, the first such White House event he has hosted.\



