Bizarre video showed the European leader begging an NYPD cop to help him get through on Monday, soon after he finished giving a controversial speech to the United Nations.
“I’m really sorry, Mr. President, everything is currently blocked,” the apologetic officer tells Macron, who tries to convince the cop to let him through if Trump’s convoy is not immediately passing by.
Frazzled, Macron then makes a call — seemingly to Trump.
“How are you? Guess what, I’m waiting in the street because everything is closed for you,” Macron says, laughing in the call, seemingly to his American counterpart.
The French leader was then forced to make the next 30 minutes of his journey on foot through the streets of Manhattan.
Macron appeared to take the potential diplomatic incident in stride, smiling and posing for pictures with gawking passersby.
At one point, a man who was having his picture taken with the French president bent down and kissed him on the head, forcing Macron to tell his panicked security team to stand down.
Macron used his trip to New York to formally recognize the “State of Palestine” on behalf of France at the UN, becoming the latest country to do so after Australia, Canada, the UK and Portugal all made similar announcements in recent days.
The French president’s gesture, while largely symbolic, is intended to increase pressure on Israel to bring about an end to the conflict in Gaza.