United States president Donald Trump has often flustered other world leaders, and people who would like to work towards a more globalized world. President Trump, a self proclaimed nationalist, has been at odds with globalists, when withdrawing from the Iran nuclear deal, and from the Paris climate accords. Most recently, president Trump did not attend 2 separate meetings with world leaders, well he was in Paris for the 100th year anniversary of the end of World War One. According to AP news, Trump was not present, in a powerful moment, where World Leaders walked shoulder to shoulder in the rain, as bells chimed, in the moment World War One had ended.

In his speech, French President Emmanuel Macron disavowed Trump’s nationalism— with a statement that He also tweeted, “Patriotism is the exact opposite of nationalism. Nationalism is a betrayal of patriotism. By putting our own interests first, with no regard for others, we erase the very thing that a nation holds dearest, and the thing that keeps it alive: it’s moral values.” Macron made a statement, that other globalists, such as German Chancellor Angela Merkel could agree with. In an interview with CNN, Trump stated that he is a nationalist. However there is a disagreement, between Macron and Trump on what nationalism is, and what it looks like.

In memory of World War 1, it is important to remember that allies have been France’s saving grace, when it comes to war, because they are much smaller country. As shown by a Stanford University study, the more trading partners a country has the less likely it will be to engage in war. Since countries which work together, would be less likely to war, Macron is defending peace, when defending economic globalization. In fact, Macron has even got a valid philosophical point. The United States and even France, were founded upon the idea that all men are equal. Liberty and justice for all can conflict with nationalism, because nationalism only takes into account the interests of a small group… which according to Macron’s philosophy, that special interest group won’t even be benefitted by nationalism. He believes that the French people “are important,” and that, “cooperation is good for everybody.”

President Trump has said that America needs to come first, but America’s interest and other nations interest don’t have to be mutually exclusive. Trump has made some valid comments, that are more about proper enforcement of contracts than they are nationalism. He said about NATO, “I don’t like it when Germany’s paying one-percent of GDP, and we’re paying 4.3 percent.”Though some might have passed it off as nationalism, Trump also retaliated against the detainment of an American pastor in Turkey. After, he had doubled tariffs on aluminum and steel, the Turkish economy experienced decline which caused them to eventually release the pastor.

President Macron took a jab at Donald Trump, by attacking the ideology of nationalism, but the time was also right. As German chancellor, Angela Merkel said, “(World War 1) made clear what disastrous consequences, a lack of compromise in politics and diplomacy can have.” For now, the German and French leaders are at odds with the U.S. President, Germany and France continue to not pay into NATO, and Mr. Trump has withdrawn from deals and interactions which are important to these globalists.