Picturing that Macron is in New York for the UN General Assembly, gives this big speech where he formally recognizes Palestine, then heads off to his next stop. Except his motorcade does not move. Cops have frozen the street because Trump’s convoy is about to sweep through.
So there is the French president, basically stranded like any other New Yorker stuck behind traffic, except this traffic jam is for another head of state. Instead of throwing a fit, he hops out of the car, chats with the officers, then actually calls Trump. From what reporters picked up, he teased him a little: “Guess what? I am waiting in the street because everything is frozen for you.” They apparently talked a bit about Gaza and a few other things, but it was quick.
Since he could not get through by car, Macron just walked. Half an hour, through Manhattan, security trailing behind him. People stopped to take photos, one guy even kissed him on the forehead, which his bodyguards were not thrilled about. Macron waved it off and kept moving.
These kinds of lockdowns happen every September in New York. The city turns into a maze of barricades when the UN is in session. But this one stood out because of the players involved. You have got Macron, who had just made a bold diplomatic move, literally blocked by Trump’s motorcade. It looked like a metaphor people could not resist running with: America’s presence still reshaping the traffic of global politics, even in a very literal sense.
The clip of him strolling past shop windows and chatting with people blew up online almost instantly. Some folks saw it as Macron being unflappable and even a little charming. For Trump, it fit right into the spectacle of his motorcade owning the streets. And for New Yorkers, it was just another day of trying to get across town when world leaders are in town.
