The day after a sumptuous reception at the White House which sealed the "friendship" of the French president with his American counterpart Joe Biden, Emmanuel Macron offered himself Friday, December 2 with his wife Brigitte a stroll in the very lively small streets downtown.
Emmanuel Macron, in shirt sleeves, was greeted with "Welcome Sir", in French in the text.
He and the first lady posed with young children in the arms given to them by parents for a photo.
A moment that contrasts with the first two very official days of his visit, between meeting on nuclear power and space, speeches at the embassy and speeches to American parliamentarians.
After this walk under much milder weather than the winter sun in Washington, Emmanuel Macron announced from the New Orleans art museum a new plan, "French For All", to promote the teaching of French. in the USA.
Louisiana, "land of creolization"
To make French "a language of cultural and economic opportunities" and make its practice less "elitist", the program aims to "expand and develop" the teaching of Molière's language "from kindergarten to higher education". , said the French president.
He hailed earlier, during an improvised press briefing, the "land of creolization" that is Louisiana, "where French is loved, is expected".
But before speaking – and in complete discretion – Emmanuel Macron met for an hour with Elon Musk, the richest man in the world, whimsical boss of Tesla, SpaceX and now Twitter, a social network where he limited moderation and deleted thousands of jobs.
The French president tweeted that he had had "a clear and sincere discussion" with Elon Musk and exchanged in particular on "future green industrial projects, such as the production of electric vehicles and batteries".
"Transparent conditions of use, significant reinforcement of content moderation and protection of freedom of expression: Twitter must make the effort to comply with European regulations", added the French president, who did not respond. to questions from the press on this surprise meeting.
Elon Musk said in response "impatient" about "exciting projects in France", without detailing them further.
Meeting of actors of cultural life
He had previously spoken with the Governor of Louisiana, John Bel Edwards, to discuss in particular the issue of climate change and, according to the Élysée, "the strengthening of relations in the energy field" - Louisiana being a major exporter of gas. liquefied natural.
Accompanied by the film director Claude Lelouch and the dancer and choreographer Benjamin Millepied, Emmanuel Macron was also to meet actors of cultural life in this city, the cradle of jazz, the day after a gala dinner at the White House hosted by the virtuoso pianist Jon Batiste, from a family of musicians in New Orleans.
On Thursday, during a visit overflowing with diplomatic affection, Emmanuel Macron and Joe Biden displayed their unity over Ukraine, demonstrating their desire to seek a solution to the war together, and rounded the corners on the economic disputes that had dominated the build-up to their one-on-one in the Oval Office.
"Before I set foot in the dish", the question of the impact of the American climate plan (IRA) on European industries was "not a debate", neither in France nor in the United States, has he said during his walkabout on Friday.
"Now everyone is talking about it, it's a good thing."
Speaking about the question of "exemptions" demanded in the United States for European industries, he declared: "by the beginning of next year", in the first quarter of 2023, "we must have been able to settle this subject”, “we have to finalize these subjects”.
After a dinner far from the cameras with a dozen representatives of the cultural life of New Orleans, the president was to fly to Paris.
With AFP
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