Vice President Kamala Harris continued her charm offensive with the French on Thursday night, joining President Emmanuel Macron fo...
Vice President Kamala Harris continued her charm offensive with the French on Thursday night, joining President Emmanuel Macron for a posh dinner at the presidential palace.
Both leaders brought their spouses - second gentleman Doug Emhoff and french first lady Brigitte Macron - with them for the event. The two couples greeted each other with smiles and warm embraces. Harris and Brigitte Macron shared a hug.
Harris sported a black pants suit with a white blouse underneath. Brigitte Macron wore a black and white dress.
Actor Forest Whitaker was spotted arriving for the dinner along with other VIPs, including World Health Organization director-general Tedros Adhanom.
The dinner was at the Elysee Presidential Palace, the ornate building completed in 1722 that survived the French Revolution to become the seat of the French government.
The VIP event was part of the 'Paris Peace Forum,' which Harris attended on behalf of the United States. Several other European leaders were in attendance at the dinner, including King Felipe of Spain.
Harris is in Paris to double down on America's friendship with its oldest ally after French fury in the wake of a submarine deal between the United States and Australia caused France to lose out on a $90 billion contract.
France claimed it had no warning of the deal and recalled its ambassador to the United States in the aftermath.
President Joe Biden offered his personal words of contrition to Macron during a G20 meeting in Rome, when he said the announcement was 'clumsy' and 'without grace.'
Harris was dispatched to Paris to help make nice with the French. She and Macron have met, held hands, waved to the crowds and presented a show of force during her stop.
Vice President Kamala Harris and her husband Douglas Emhoff arrive at the Elysee Palace for dinner as part of the Paris Peace Forum
Vice President Kamala Harris is in Frace as part of a charm offensive; she and husband Doug Emhoff joined French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte Macron for dinner at the Elysee President Palace
French President Emmanuel Macron speaks as Vice President Kamala Harris and her husband Douglas Emhoff listen during the dinner
World Health Organisation Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus and Spain's King Felipe VI were among the dinner guests
Actor Forest Whitaker was also at the dinner
Vice President Kamala Harris greets French first lady Brigitte Macron as French President Emmanuel Macron and second gentleman Doug Emhoff look on
French President Emmanuel Macron speaks as his wife Brigitte Macron and King Felipe VI of Spain listen during a dinner on the first day of the Paris Peace Forum
The vice president addressed the Paris Peace Forum earlier in the day, where she said the COVID pandemic had presented an opportunity for world leaders to better see where inequality exists.
'As we recover from this pandemic, from the crisis, we must challenge the status quo and build something better,' Harris said during a speech that focused on global inequality and called for world leaders not to stand by as wealth and equality gaps widen.
'To get at the root of this challenge we must look critically at the longstanding systems that are fractured,' she added.
Harris also joined President Macron at the Arc de Triomphe to commemorate Armistice Day as part of her four-day charm offensive.
The vice president stood with French Prime Minister Jean Castex and Paris' Mayor Anne Hidalgo ahead of the ceremony marking the 103rd anniversary of the November 11, 1918 armistice - known as Veteran's Day in the US.
Harris donned a blue cornflower - known as a Bleuet de France - traditionally worn in France on November 11 in remembrance of veterans, victims of war, widows and orphans, similar to the UK's red poppy.
The pair met Wednesday night at the Elysee presidential palace for talks in which they agreed their countries are ready to work together again after the diplomatic row surrounding the AUKUS submarine deal that put their relationship at a historic low.
Macron today marking the armistice anniversary by paying homage at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier with the flag draped coffin of Hubert Germain - the last surviving member of the Companion of the Order of Liberation, an honor awarded to French WW2 heroes, who died on October 12 - placed nearby.
Harris on Wednesday paid her respects to Americans who died in the two world wars and are buried in a cemetery overlooking the Paris skyline, laying a wreath in their honor. Among the more than 1,500 graves was that of Inez Crittenden, a World War I switchboard operator from Harris' hometown of Oakland.
Noting that was 'one of the few jobs women could have' at the time, Harris said, 'We're very proud of her memory and her service.' Crittenden died on Armistice Day - November 11, 1918 - from pneumonia, likely caused by the flu pandemic of the era.
The vice president made the trip to France after a poll showed her approval rating at just 28 percent and was accused of speaking in a fake accent during an event at a COVID lab on her first day.
Kamala Harris today joined French President Emmanuel Macron at the Arc de Triomphe to commemorate Armistice Day as part of her four-day charm offensive tour to repair soured relations after the $9billion submarine deal with Australia
Harris donned a blue cornflower - known as a Bleuet de France - traditionally worn in France on November 11 in remembrance of veterans, victims of war, widows and orphans, similar to the UK's red poppy
Kamala Harris stood with French Prime Minister Jean Castex (center) and Paris' Mayor Anne Hidalgo (right) for the ceremony marking the 103rd anniversary of the November 11, 1918 Armistice
Emmanuel Macron paid homage at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier with the flag draped coffin of Hubert Germain - the last surviving member of the Companion of the Order of Liberation, an honor awarded to French WW2 heroes - placed nearby
Harris met with US military service members at the Suresnes American Cemetery and Memorial on Wednesday as she marked the somber holiday, known as Veteran's Day in the US.
The day, one of the nation's 12 federal holidays designated by Congress, honors all those - dead and alive - who have served in the US Armed Forces.
The day was initially known as Armistice Day, as in Europe, but was renamed in 1953 when a cobbler who had lost a nephew in the Second World War petitioned Kansas city to use the day to honor all those who have died serving in the US armed forces.
Alvin J. King argued the holiday had become outdated because thousands of soldiers had died in subsequent conflicts - the Second World War and Korean War.
It was marked as Veteran's Day for the first time in 1953 and the name change became official in 1954.
Harris and Macron later met for talks at the Elysee presidential palace as part of a weeks-long effort by Washington to mend relations with France, America's oldest ally.
The vice president's four-day trip to Paris comes after President Joe Biden told Macron the US had been 'clumsy' in handling the submarine issue, during a meeting in Rome, Italy on October 29.
Biden didn't formally apologize to Macron, but conceded the US should not have caught its oldest ally by surprise.
The secretly negotiated US-British submarine deal with Australia led to a prior deal with France being scrapped.
Vice President Harris joined Macron to mark Armistice Day as part of her four-day charm offensive tour to repair soured relations after the $9billion submarine deal with Australia
Harris talked animatedly with French Senate President Gerard Larcher during a ceremony to mark the 103rd anniversary of the armistice
Harris poses for a selfie with fellow attendees at a ceremony commemorating the 103rd anniversary of the armistice in Paris today
Members of the French armed forces stood to attention at Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at the Arc de Triomphe during the remembrance day ceremony
Macron stood to attention as the coffin of Hubert Germain, the last surviving member of the French Companion of the Order of Liberation, an honor awarded to WW2 heroes, who died on October 12, was brought to the Arc de Triomphe in Paris
French President Macron looked sombre as he watched the coffin of Hubert Germain, the last surviving member of Companion of the Order of Liberation, an honor awarded to French WW2 heroes
Macron on Wednesday said he had had 'a very fruitful meeting' with Biden. 'We do share the view that we are at the beginning of a new era and our cooperation is absolutely critical for this one,' he said.
Echoing the French president's comments, Harris said: 'I think we share this belief that we are at the beginning of a new era, which presents us with many challenges, but also many opportunities.'
'Building on the great conversation that you and President Biden had, I look forward to the next few days. We'll work together and renew the focus that we've always had on a partnership,' she added.
She said that they were to discuss the Covid-19 pandemic, cooperation on space and climate change, amid other topics, before participating in the Paris Conference on Libya on Friday.
Harris and Macron spoke ahead of a ceremony at the Arc de Triomphe in Paris to mark the 103rd anniversary of the November 11, 1918 armistice that ended the First World War
Harris, wearing a blue cornflower known as a Bleuet de France,, traditionally worn in France on November 11 in remembrance of veterans, victims of war, widows and orphans, spoke with French Prime Minister Jean Castex ahead of commemorations
Harris appeared in high spirits as she spoke to French Prime Minister Jean Castex and Paris' Mayor Anne Hidalgo ahead of a ceremony to mark the 103rd anniversary of the WW1 armistice
Sombre officials gathered at the Arc de Triomphe with President Macron on Thursday to mark the 103rd anniversary of the November 11, 1918 armistice that ended the First World War
French President Macron looked sombre as he looked on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and the coffin of Hubert Germain, the last surviving member of Companion of the Order of Liberation, an honor awarded to French WW2 heroes
French President Emmanuel Macron delivered a speech during a ceremony to mark the 103rd Anniversary of Armistice Day at the Arc de Triomphe in Paris
The coffin of Hubert Germain, the last surviving member of Companion of the Order of Liberation, an honor awarded to French WW2 heroes, was driven to the Arc de Triomphe on an armored military vehicle ahead of a remembrance ceremony
Harris and Macron agreed Wednesday that their countries are ready to work together again, after a diplomatic drama surrounding a submarine deal that put the relationship at a historic low
Harris met with Macron in the evening at the Elysee presidential palace, as part of a weeks-long effort by Washington to mend relations with France, America's oldest ally
The breakthrough came after Harris on Tuesday visited the Institut Pasteur science lab, where Americans are working alongside Europeans to tackle Covid-19 and where her mother researched breast cancer.
The vice president was mocked over the visit after she seemed to put on a French accent while talking to staff about her love of science, and her dismay at how politics could not be as methodical and logical as their experiments.
Harris moved to Montreal, Canada, when she was 12 and attended a French-speaking school for several years. But her apparent efforts at a French accent stirred outrage on social media media, where she was accused of talking down to the scientists and embarrassing the country.
The latest gaff comes as Harris' team is trying to revive her poor poll numbers. The former California senator's unpopularity has reached a historic level, with only 28 per cent thinking she is doing a good job.
Biden's approval rating hit yet another a new low, this time at 38 per cent, according to the USA Today/Suffolk poll, out on November 8. And a 51 per cent majority of respondents said they disapprove of the job Harris is doing as vice president.
At this early stage of a modern presidency, Harris' numbers in the USA Today/Suffolk poll are unprecedented.
The closest comparison — which involves slightly different methodology and margins of error — would be former Vice President Dick Cheney, the most unpopular US vice president in polling history.
He bottomed out at 30 per cent in Gallup's tracking survey, but that wasn't until the end of former President George W. Bush's second term in 2007.
The breakthrough came after Kamala Harris on Tuesday visited the Institut Pasteur science lab, where Americans are working alongside Europeans to tackle Covid-19 and where her mother researched breast cancer
No comments