Donald Trump accused French President Emmanuel Macron of “kissing Xi Jinping’s ass” during his recent visit to Beijing.
Mr Macron spoke with his Chinese colleague last week in the hope of persuading him to leverage his friendship with Russia’s Vladimir Putin to stop the war in Ukraine.
On Fox News on Wednesday, the former US president was asked about the trip.
“You’ve got this crazy world that’s blowing up, and the United States has absolutely no say,” he remarked.
“And Macron, a friend of mine, is in China kissing his [Xi’s] ass.” “I said, ‘France is now going to China?'”
Mr Trump, who recently became the first former US president to face criminal charges, had an increasingly difficult relationship with Mr Macron as his time in office progressed.
Mr Trump’s remarks were condemned as “vulgar” by an Elysee Palace official.
It comes after Mr Macron received a big reaction for stating Europe should avoid becoming embroiled in any US-China conflict over Taiwan.
On the way back from Beijing, the French president warned reporters from Politico and Les Echos that getting caught up in “crises that are not ours” would be a “trap.”
Instead, he believes Europe should prioritise “strategic autonomy.”
“Do we [Europeans] want to move faster on Taiwan?” No. The worst thing would be to believe that we Europeans must be followers on this subject, adapting to an American beat and a Chinese response,” he told media.
Backlash in the United States and Europe
In the United States, Republican Senator Marco Rubio suggested in a tweet that if Europe wanted to avoid the diplomatic issue over Taiwan, the US should reconsider its support for peace in Europe.
“Perhaps we should basically say we’re going to focus on Taiwan and the threats that China poses, while you guys handle Ukraine and Europe,” he wrote.
One European MEP said that Mr Macron just spoke for France and not for the rest of the EU.
Mr. Macron travelled to China with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
“Russian aggression in Ukraine has dealt a blow to [international] stability,” he told Mr Xi. I know I can rely on you… to bring Russia back to the negotiating table.”
“We need to find a lasting peace,” Mr Macron said. “I believe that this is an important issue for China, just as it is for France and Europe.”
Mr. Xi did not address Russia or Ukraine in his statement, but he did express his commitment to a relationship with France.
Mr. Trump lauded Chinese President Xi Jinping in an interview with Fox News.
“President Xi is a brilliant man: you couldn’t find him if you went all over Hollywood looking for someone to play President Xi,” he stated.
Mr. Trump is scheduled to appear in court later this year on suspected hush money to help his 2016 election campaign.