'There will be blood': French ambassador to US fires parting shots at Trump and Brexit
The departing French ambassador to the US has fired some outspoken parting shots at the Trump administration and Brexit saying "there will be blood on the walls and it will be British blood".
Gérard Araud, who told The Local once that Americans just think France is a country of "moaners and strikers", is leaving his post as French Ambassador to the US.
But just as he walks out the door Araud, who famously tweeted that "the world is collapsing before our eyes" when Donald Trump was elected, has issued a remarkable attack on the US president's administration and Brexit.
Araud told The Guardian newspaper: "When they say 'America first', it's America alone.
"Basically this president and this administration don't have allies, they don't have friends. It's really about bilateral relationships on the basis of the balance of power and the defence of narrow American interest," he said.
Araud also had some words of warning for the British government about the prospect of any future trade deal with the US.
The Trump administration "don't have any affection toward Europeans. They treat Europeans the way they treat the Chinese," Araud said.
"And when the British come for a free-trade agreement there will be blood on the walls and it will be British blood. It will be GMO's (Genetically Modified Organisms) for breakfast, lunch and dinner," said referring to the view that America has far lower food standards than in Europe.
Araud's famous tweet about the "world collapsing" after Trump's election sparked anger in the US with a Fox news presenter declaring "how dare he".
L'ambassadeur de France aux Etats-Unis @GerardAraud a effacé son tweet. Pour éviter un incident diplomatique ? pic.twitter.com/bdAf3FzIJV
— Fabrice Pelosi (@fabricepelosi) November 9, 2016
The ambassador, who has been France's envoy to the US since 2014, deleted the tweet minutes later, but it had already gone viral.
In his interview with the Guardian Araud compared Trump's administration to the court of French King Louis XIV.
"You have an old king, a bit whimsical, unpredictable, uninformed but he wants to be the one deciding," he said.
(Araud meets Obama. AFP)
Araud has never been one to hide his views, especially on Twitter, something he holds in common with the US president.
When former US presidential candidate Jeb Bush mocked France and it's "three day working week" Araud was not willing to take the slight lying down .
He called Bush's comments "bombastic nonsense" and took to Twitter to hit back.
"A French work week of three days? No, but a pregnancy paid leave of 16 weeks yes! And proud of it," said Araud who went on to defend France's health and education systems and said he was proud of France's high tax rates.
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Gérard Araud, who told The Local once that Americans just think France is a country of "moaners and strikers", is leaving his post as French Ambassador to the US.
But just as he walks out the door Araud, who famously tweeted that "the world is collapsing before our eyes" when Donald Trump was elected, has issued a remarkable attack on the US president's administration and Brexit.
Araud told The Guardian newspaper: "When they say 'America first', it's America alone.
"Basically this president and this administration don't have allies, they don't have friends. It's really about bilateral relationships on the basis of the balance of power and the defence of narrow American interest," he said.
Araud also had some words of warning for the British government about the prospect of any future trade deal with the US.
The Trump administration "don't have any affection toward Europeans. They treat Europeans the way they treat the Chinese," Araud said.
"And when the British come for a free-trade agreement there will be blood on the walls and it will be British blood. It will be GMO's (Genetically Modified Organisms) for breakfast, lunch and dinner," said referring to the view that America has far lower food standards than in Europe.
Araud's famous tweet about the "world collapsing" after Trump's election sparked anger in the US with a Fox news presenter declaring "how dare he".
L'ambassadeur de France aux Etats-Unis @GerardAraud a effacé son tweet. Pour éviter un incident diplomatique ? pic.twitter.com/bdAf3FzIJV
— Fabrice Pelosi (@fabricepelosi) November 9, 2016
The ambassador, who has been France's envoy to the US since 2014, deleted the tweet minutes later, but it had already gone viral.
In his interview with the Guardian Araud compared Trump's administration to the court of French King Louis XIV.
"You have an old king, a bit whimsical, unpredictable, uninformed but he wants to be the one deciding," he said.
(Araud meets Obama. AFP)
Araud has never been one to hide his views, especially on Twitter, something he holds in common with the US president.
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