Macron ends US visit with trip to New Orleans, meets with Musk

The French president strolled through New Orleans’ historic French Quarter and had an unannounced face-to-face meeting with Twitter owner Elon Musk on the third day of his US visit, which included a lavish reception at the White House the night before. has been held.

Macron said the two had a “clear and honest” discussion during the hour-long meeting, and said he conveyed his (and European) concerns about content moderation on influential platforms to Musk. rice field.

“Transparent user policies, significantly strengthened content moderation, protection of free speech. Twitter must strive to comply with European regulations,” Macron tweeted after the meeting.

Mr. Macron arrived in the iconic Louisiana city, was greeted with a glamorous welcome by a jazz band on the airport tarmac, and walked the busy streets of the French Quarter with his wife, Bridget.

Macron took off his jacket, strolled past New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell, clasped hands with hopefuls, and smiled broadly. He briefly spoke with women holding signs supporting protests in Iran.

At an impromptu press conference, he praised the “French language being loved” as a “creolizing country” and later announced a program to expand access to French language training.

In Washington, he said he wanted to revamp the image of the French in America, which they “sometimes see as elitist.”

Before leaving Washington on Friday, President Macron attended a breakfast with representatives of digital companies and, according to the Elysée newspaper, said he was committed to “making France a leading European power in technology” since his first term in office. He remembered “all the effort” that was made.

Once a French colonial city, New Orleans was sold to the United States by Napoleon as part of the Louisiana Purchase in 1803. Macron calls the city “typically French-speaking”.

– Energy and Climate –

President Macron not only celebrated French-American relations, but also paid tribute to the victims of Hurricane Katrina, which killed more than 1,800 people and caused billions of dollars in damage in and around New Orleans in 2005. did.

Accompanied by French filmmaker Claude Lelouch and dancer and choreographer Benjamin Millepied, Macron met local artists and prominent cultural figures in New Orleans, known as the birthplace of jazz.

Shortly after their arrival, President Macron and European Affairs Minister Catherine Colonna met with Louisiana Governor John Bell Edwards. With Macron looking on, Colonna and Edwards signed an agreement to promote and implement joint clean energy initiatives.

The visit came on the heels of a lavish dinner hosted by President Joe Biden at the White House and was headlined by master jazzman John Baptiste, who hails from a family of New Orleans musicians.

President Macron’s first state visit since Biden took office in January 2021 was to discuss Australia’s support for withdrawing from the French submarine deal and instead acquiring US nuclear submarines between Washington and Paris. symbolically buried last year’s bitter altercation.

The visit was attended by Macron’s full military honor guard, including Marines, Army and Air Force personnel, as well as a detachment of soldiers dressed in 18th-century Revolutionary War costumes.