New York police blocked the road for the presidential motorcade, and Macron called Trump to complain.
Even presidents can be frustrated by New York City’s traffic, as French President Emmanuel Macron experienced. To allow US President Trump’s car to pass, a New York City police officer apologized to Macron as he was getting out of his car to cross the street. After delivering a speech at the United Nations, Macron was leaving the venue to return to the French Embassy in New York when his motorcade was blocked by police. According to a video circulating on social media, unlike most people caught in the crossfire, Macron later personally called Trump from the sidewalk and joked about his predicament. The police officer told Macron, who was trying to cross the street with members of his delegation, “I’m sorry, Mr. President, I’m really sorry… It’s just that everything is stopped. The motorcade is coming.” Forced to wait at the roadblock, Macron called Trump. “I’m waiting for you on the street. The whole street is stopped because of you,” Macron said, adding that he wanted to have a brief discussion with Trump and Qatar about the situation in the Gaza Strip. Macron jokingly told Trump, “Let me pass. I want to negotiate with you.” Police lifted the partial blockade a few minutes later, but only allowed pedestrians. Macron was forced to walk to the French Embassy, a journey that took about 30 minutes. Along the way, he occasionally greeted and took photos with citizens.
