Macron and Trump do seem poles apart ideologically. Macron's animated defense of the European project and his embrace of the fight against climate change collide directly with Trump's avowed ultranationalism and climate skepticism. To the “America First” boosters in the White House, the youthful Macron, a former banker who served a stint as economy minister in France's previous center-left government, is the poster child of the “globalist” elite they revile.

The famous Trump-Macron handshake on May 25, 2017, in Brussels. (Evan Vucci/Associated Press)

But when the two men meet in Paris for France's Bastille Day celebrations, Trump may find reason to feel more than a bit wistful — and not just because he'll be watching the sort of stirring military parade he couldn't get staged on Pennsylvania Avenue on the day of his inauguration.

Macron's and Trump's ascendancies were, in some ways, mirror images of the other. Each ran as a maverick candidate with a campaign promising national renewal at a time when many in his country were despairing of the status quo. “They're both outsiders who captured anti-establishment anger, campaigned against the failures of both incumbent parties, had never ran for office, and come with business experience,” said Benjamin Haddad, a research fellow on European and transatlantic politics at the Hudson Institute.

But Macron managed to win the strong mandate that has conspicuously eluded Trump. The French president's large election victory was followed by a smashing parliamentary win for his brand-new Republic on the Move party. Macron secured a commanding majority in the National Assembly, hollowing out France's traditional parties and giving himself an astonishing platform to wield power and push through his agenda.

“It's sometimes lost in the conversation because it came after his win, but I would argue the parliamentary victory is much more stunning and transformational than the presidential one,” Haddad said. “Imagine Trump not only running as an independent but also running candidates everywhere in the country and now having a majority to govern in Congress.”

Macron conducted a testy news conference with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Paris on May 29, 2017. (Christophe Archambault/Agence France-Presse via Getty Images)

Trump, in contrast, has lurched from crisis to crisis. His legislative agenda has stalled, thanks to disagreements within his own party, and speculation is mounting over how long Republicans on Capitol Hill will stand by him. He remains historically unpopular and is doing little to reverse that trend or attract support beyond his base. What slim momentum he may have enjoyed after taking office seems to have vanished.

Of course, Macron still has a huge hill to climb at home. After charming everyone on the campaign trail, he has adopted a more icy pose in power. His government has sought legal action to crack down on leakers, sparking condemnation from French news media. He canceled the traditional Bastille Day interview with two TV anchors and delivered a State of the Union-style address last week, which some leftist parliamentarians boycotted over Macron's alleged imperiousness. His planned labor reforms may spark heated clashes with France's powerful unions.

But Macron seems far better positioned to fight than his American counterpart. He can still plausibly speak of transforming his country into a nation of “start-ups” and unleashing innovation, airy ambitions vaguely shared by Ivanka Trump, the president's daughter, and her husband, Jared Kushner. Macron has backed up his agenda by reinvigorating French politics with skilled technocratic talent. Contrast that with the chaotic White House, convulsing amid a series of controversies surrounding Trump's family members, who many argue should be nowhere near the corridors of power.

Thus the visit to Paris presents a welcome diversion for Trump, allowing him to discuss cooperation against terrorism and bask in the annual display of French military splendor.

“It’s the 100th anniversary of the American entry into World War I — it’s a beautiful symbol,” said François Heisbourg, a former French national security adviser under presidents Nicolas Sarkozy and François Hollande, to my colleagues Jenna Johnson and James McAuley. “It’s also a reminder to Trump and to those in France that there’s a century of transatlantic history here, and that the not-so-subliminal history is quite strong.”

Many Western European leaders have directly and indirectly upbraided Trump for his seeming apathy toward institutions that have undergirded the transatlantic alliance. But Macron may attempt to use Trump's 27-hour spin through the French capital to bring the American president back into the fold.

U.S President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania arrive at Orly airport, south of Paris, Thursday July 13, 2017. President Trump will later meet with French President Emmanuel Macron. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus) US President Donald Trump (R) salutes after disembarking form Air Force One with First Lady Melania Trump upon arrival at Paris Orly airport on July 13, 2017, beginning a 24-hour trip that coincides with France's national day and the 100th anniversary of US involvement in World War I. Donald Trump arrived in Paris for a presidential visit filled with Bastille Day pomp and which the White House hopes will offer respite from rolling scandal backing home. / AFP PHOTO / SAUL LOEBSAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images (Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images) US First Lady Melania Trump and US President Donald Trump walk to the motorcade upon arrival at Paris Orly airport on July 13, 2017, beginning a 24-hour trip that coincides with France's national day and the 100th anniversary of US involvement in World War I. Donald Trump arrived in Paris for a presidential visit filled with Bastille Day pomp and which the White House hopes will offer respite from rolling scandal backing home. / AFP PHOTO / SAUL LOEBSAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images (Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images) U.S. President Donald Trump leaves his car as he arrives for a meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron at the Elysee Palace in Paris, France, July 13, 2017. REUTERS/Stephane Mahe (Stephane Mahe/Reuters) French President Emmanuel Macron, left, walks as U.S President Donald Trump waves before a meeting at the Elysee Palace in Paris, Thursday, July 13, 2017. Macron said Thursday it is "obvious and indispensable" to have exchanges with U.S. President Donald Trump as the two leaders were set to meet to try to push past major differences and find common ground on security, defense and other issues. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber) Emmanuel Macron, France's president, left, and U.S. President Donald Trump, shake hands while posing for photographs at the Elysee Palace in Paris, France, on Thursday, July 13, 2017. The awkward relationship between Donald Trump and Emmanuel Macron that began with a white-knuckle handshake and the U.S. president's repudiation of the Paris climate accords gets a chance for a reset with Trump’s two-day visit to France. Photographer: Christophe Morin/Bloomberg (Christophe Morin/Bloomberg) U.S President Donald Trump waves as he arrives at the Elysee Palace before his meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron, in Paris, Thursday, July 13, 2017. Trump will be the parade's guest of honor to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the U.S. entry into World War I. U.S. troops will open the parade Friday as is traditional for the guest of honor. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber) French President Emmanuel Macron and US President Donald Trump listen to the national anthems during an official welcoming ceremony in the courtyard of the Invalides in Paris, Thursday, July 13, 2017. Trump is in Paris for a high profile two-day visit during which he will be the guest of honour of his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron at the annual Bastille Day parade. (AP Photo / Matthieu Alexandre) US President Donald Trump (L) with his hand on his heart, French President Emmanuel Macron (C) and Military governor of Paris and French army general Bruno Le Ray (R), listen to national anthems during a welcome ceremony at Les Invalides in Paris, on July 13, 2017. / AFP PHOTO / POOL / YVES HERMANYVES HERMAN/AFP/Getty Images (Yves Herman/AFP/Getty Images) Military governor of Paris and French army general Bruno Le Ray (2ndL), US President Donald Trump (C) and French President Emmanuel Macron (R) review troops, during a welcome ceremony at Les Invalides in Paris, on July 13, 2017. / AFP PHOTO / SAUL LOEBSAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images (Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images) French President Emmanuel Macron (L) and U.S. President Donald Trump (R) speak as they leave Les Invalides museum in Paris, France, July 13, 2017. REUTERS/Ian Langsdon/Pool (Pool/Reuters) French President Emmanuel Macron and U.S. President Donald Trump attend a welcoming ceremony at the Invalides in Paris, France, July 13, 2017. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque (Kevin Lamarque/Reuters) epa06085470 French President Emmanuel Macron (2-R) and his wife Brigitte (R) tour Marechal Foch's Tomb with US President Donald J. Trump (2-L) and First Lady Melania Trump (L) at Les Invalides museum in Paris, France, 13 July 2017. US President Donald J. Trump is on a two-day visit in Paris. EPA/IAN LANGSDON / POOL MAXPPP OUT (Ian Langsdon / Pool/EPA) (From L) US President Donald Trump, First lady Melania Trump, French President Emmanuel Macron, and his wife Brigitte Macron listen to the Director of the Army Museum, David Guillet (C), as they visit Napoleon Bonapartes tomb at Les Invalides in Paris, on July 13, 2017. Donald Trump arrived in Paris for a presidential visit filled with Bastille Day pomp and which the White House hopes will offer respite from rolling scandal backing home. / AFP PHOTO / POOL / IAN LANGSDONIAN LANGSDON/AFP/Getty Images (Ian Langsdon/AFP/Getty Images) French President Emmanuel Macron and U.S. President Donald Trump (L) react as they meet at the Elysee Palace in Paris, France, July 13, 2017. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque (Kevin Lamarque/Reuters) President Donald Trump, French President Emmanuel Macron, and others, participate in an expanded bilateral meeting at the Elysee Palace in Paris, Thursday, July 13, 2017. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster) US First Lady Melania Trump (C) poses along with director of Paris' public assistance hospitals AP-HP Martin Hirsch (L) and staff members during a visit to the Necker Hospital in Paris, on July 13, 2017. US President arrived in Paris for a presidential visit filled with Bastille Day pomp and which the White House hopes will offer respite from rolling scandal backing home. / AFP PHOTO / Martin BUREAUMARTIN BUREAU/AFP/Getty Images (Martin Bureau/AFP/Getty Images) PARIS, FRANCE - JULY 13: United States First Lady Melania Trump speaks with children as she visits Necker Hospital for children on July 13, 2017 in Paris, France. The United States of America President Donald Trump and his wife are on a 2 days visit to Paris. (Aurelien Meunier/Getty Images) US President Donald Trump (L) and French President Emmanuel Macron (R), walk towards US First Lady Melania Trump (up L) and Brigitte Macron (up R), during a welcome ceremony at Les Invalides in Paris, on July 13, 2017. / AFP PHOTO / SAUL LOEBSAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images (Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images) President Donald Trump and French President Emmanuel Macron participate in a joint news conference at the Elysee Palace in Paris, Thursday, July 13, 2017. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster) U.S President Donald Trump gestures during a press conference with French President Emmanuel Macron at the Elysee Palace in Paris, Thursday, July 13, 2017. President Donald Trump is saluting the United States' "unbreakable" bond with France. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber) US President Donald Trump (L) and French President Emmanuel Macron (R) shake hand at the end of a press conference following meetings at the Elysee Palace in Paris, on July 13, 2017, during the US president's 24-hour trip that coincides with France's national day and the 100th anniversary of US involvement in World War I. Donald Trump arrived in Paris for a presidential visit filled with Bastille Day pomp and which the White House hopes will offer respite from rolling scandal backing home. / AFP PHOTO / ALAIN JOCARDALAIN JOCARD/AFP/Getty Images (Alain Jocard/AFP/Getty Images) U.S. First Lady Melania Trump and Brigitte Macron, wife of French President Macron, visit Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, France, July 13, 2017. REUTERS/Martin Bureau/Pool (Pool/Reuters) US First Lady Melania Trump and French president's wife Brigitte Macron attend a boat on a vedette de Bercy down the river Seine as it is escorted by a dinguee with French police officers, in Paris, on July 13, 2017, during US president's 24-hour trip that coincides with France's national day and the 100th anniversary of US involvement in World War I. Donald Trump arrived in Paris for a presidential visit filled with Bastille Day pomp and which the White House hopes will offer respite from rolling scandal backing home. / AFP PHOTO / JEAN-SEBASTIEN EVRARDJEAN-SEBASTIEN EVRARD/AFP/Getty Images (Jean-Sebastien Evrard/AFP/Getty Images) US First Lady Melania Trump (C-R) and French president's wife Brigitte Macron (C-L) waving as they leave after a boat trip down the River Seine in Paris, on July 13, 2017, during US president's 24-hour trip that coincides with France's national day and the 100th anniversary of US involvement in World War I. Donald Trump arrived in Paris for a presidential visit filled with Bastille Day pomp and which the White House hopes will offer respite from rolling scandal backing home. / AFP PHOTO / GEOFFROY VAN DER HASSELTGEOFFROY VAN DER HASSELT/AFP/Getty Images (Geoffroy Van Der Hasselt/AFP/Getty Images) PARIS, FRANCE - JULY 13: Crowd watching as United States First Lady Melania Trump and French First Lady Brigitte Macron leave the dock after a boat ride on the Seine river on July 13, 2017 in Paris, France. The United States of America President Donald Trump and his wife are on a 2 day visit to Paris. (Aurelien Meunier/Getty Images) U.S. First Lady Melania Trump (R) and Brigitte Macron, wife of French President Macron, leave after a boat trip down the River Seine in Paris, France, July 13, 2017. REUTERS/Martin Bureau/Pool (Pool/Reuters) French President Emmanuel Macron (R), his wife Brigitte Macron (L), US President Donald Trump (2nd L) and First Lady Melania Trump (2nd R) attend a dinner at Le Jules Verne Restaurant on the Eiffel Tower in Paris, on July 13, 2017 as part of US president's 24-hour trip that coincides with France's national day and the 100th anniversary of US involvement in World War I. Donald Trump arrived in Paris for a 24-hour trip that coincides with France's national day and the 100th anniversary of US involvement in World War I. / AFP PHOTO / SAUL LOEBSAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images (Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images) French President Emmanuel Macron, second left, shakes hands with U.S President Donald Trump while First Lady Melania Trump and Brigitte Macron, left, walk on sides after the Bastille Day military parade on the Champs Elysees avenue in Paris Friday, July 14, 2017. France's annual Bastille Day parade turned into an event high on American patriotism this year, marked by a warm embrace between President Donald Trump and his French counterpart. (Christophe Archambault, Pool via AP) epa06086421 French President Emmanuel Macron (L) and US President Donald J. Trump (R) attend the traditional military parade as part of the Bastille Day celebrations in Paris, France, 14 July 2017. The Bastille Day, the French National Day, is held annually on 14 July to commemorate the storming of the Bastille fortress in 1789. EPA/IAN LANGSDON (Ian Langsdon/EPA) French war planes fly over the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, Friday, July 14, 2017. Paris has tightened security before its annual Bastille Day parade, which this year is being opened by American troops with President Donald Trump as the guest of honor to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the United States' entry into World War I. (Etienne Laurent, Pool via AP) US President Donald Trump (C) bids farewell, flanked by French President Emmanuel Macron (upL) and his wife Brigitte Macron (upR) as he leaves the annual Bastille Day military parade on the Champs-Elysees avenue in Paris on July 14, 2017. The parade on Paris's Champs-Elysees will commemorate the centenary of the US entering WWI and will feature horses, helicopters, planes and troops. / AFP PHOTO / ALAIN JOCARDALAIN JOCARD/AFP/Getty Images (Alain Jocard/AFP/Getty Images) (from left) U.S. First Lady Melania Trump, U.S. President Donald Trump, French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte Macron attend the traditional Bastille Day military parade on the Champs-Elysees avenue in Paris, France, July 14, 2017. REUTERS/Christophe Archambault/Pool (Pool/Reuters) epa06086832 US President Donald J. Trump (L) speaks to his wife Melania (C) as French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe (R) looks on while attending the traditional military parade as part of the Bastille Day celebrations in Paris, France, 14 July 2017. The Bastille Day, the French National Day, is held annually on 14 July to commemorate the storming of the Bastille fortress in 1789. EPA/IAN LANGSDON (Ian Langsdon/EPA) epa06086905 French military tanks drive down the Champs-Elysees as they take part in the traditional military parade as part of the Bastille Day celebrations in Paris, France, 14 July 2017. The Bastille Day, the French National Day, is held annually on 14 July to commemorate the storming of the Bastille fortress in 1789. This year, French President Emmanuel Macron formally invited US President Donald J. Trump and his wife Melania (all unseen) at attend the ceremony to mark the 100th anniversay of US involvement in WWI. EPA/IAN LANGSDON (Ian Langsdon/EPA) epa06087026 French President Emmanuel Macron (R) and his wife Brigitte Macron bid farewell to the US President Donald J. Trump and US first lady as they prepare to drive away after attending the annual Bastille Day military parade on the Champs-Elysees avenue in Paris, France, 14 July 2017. The Bastille Day, the French National Day, is held annually on 14 July to commemorate the storming of the Bastille fortress in 1789. EPA/CHRISTOPHE ARCHAMBAULT / POOL MAXPPP OUT (Christophe Archambault / Pool/EPA) PARIS, FRANCE - JULY 14: U.S President Donald Trump and French President Emmanuel Macron attend the traditional Bastille day military parade on the Champs-Elysees on July 14, 2017 in Paris France. Bastille Day, the French National day commemorates this year the 100th anniversary of the entry of the United States of America into World War I. (Thierry Chesnot/Getty Images) epa06087228 French President Emmanuel Macron (front, 4-L), US President Donald J. Trump (front, 3-L) First Lady Melania Trump (front, 2-L), French prime Minister Edouard Philippe (L) and Brigitte Macron (front, 2-R) watch the traditional military parade as part of the Bastille Day celebrations in Paris, France, 14 July 2017. The Bastille Day, the French National Day, is held annually on 14 July to commemorate the storming of the Bastille fortress in 1789. EPA/Julien de Rosa (Julien De Rosa/EPA) President Donald Trump and French President Emmanuel Macron during Bastille Day parade on the Champs Elysees avenue in Paris, Friday, July 14, 2017. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster) French President Emmanuel Macron, third right,, and his wife Brigitte, fourth left, with U.S President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump stand in front of a huge American flag after the Bastille Day parade in Paris, Friday, July 14, 2017. Paris has tightened security before its annual Bastille Day parade, which this year is being opened by American troops with President Donald Trump as the guest of honor to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the United States' entry into World War I. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber) French President Emmanuel Macron, his wife Brigitte Macron, U.S. President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump walk on the Place de la Concorde at the end of the traditional Bastille Day military parade in Paris, France, July 14, 2017. REUTERS/Yves Herman (Yves Herman/Reuters) French President Emmanuel Macron (L) bids farewell to his US counterpart Donald Trump after the annual Bastille Day military parade on the Champs-Elysees avenue in Paris on July 14, 2017. Bastille Day, the French National Day, is held annually each July 14, to commemorate the storming of the Bastille fortress in 1789. This years parade on Paris's Champs-Elysees will commemorate the centenary of the US entering WWI and will feature horses, helicopters, planes and troops. / AFP PHOTO / ALAIN JOCARDALAIN JOCARD/AFP/Getty Images (Alain Jocard/AFP/Getty Images) Photo Gallery: Beginning a 24-hour trip that coincides with France?s national day and the 100th anniversary of U.S. involvement in World War I, President Trump arrived in Paris for a visit filled with Bastille Day pomp.

“We don’t want [Trump] to isolate himself,” an adviser to Macron told Politico. “Our role is to have a restraining function on him.”

“Trump, bristling at German criticism, has repeatedly lashed out over Berlin’s trade and current account surpluses,” noted Politico's Nicholas Vinocur. “Which leaves Macron — who’s also been critical of Germany’s trade position, and who’s vowed to bring French defense spending up to NATO’s target of 2 percent of gross domestic product — as the obvious dance partner for the U.S. while Trump is in Europe.”

“It looks like Macron wants to emerge as the leader of a Europe that assumes its autonomy and seeks to speak to Washington on an equal footing,” Haddad said. Profound disagreements may not be overcome, but the French president will certainly avoid confrontation and look to start building “a constructive partnership.”