photo: wikipedia
POLITICO - People around President Joe Biden were initially taken aback by French President Emmanuel Macron's gamble to call early parliamentary elections. France's main far-right party appears poised to do well in the two-round parliamentary vote.
Before French President Emmanuel Macron went on national television to announce his call for early parliamentary elections, he privately brought it to the attention of President Joe Biden, who was just ending a five-day trip to France for the anniversary of D-Day. According to two people familiar with the private conversation.
People in Biden's entourage were at first only taken aback by Macron's play and considered it a bold manoeuvre that defined Macron's turbulent political career. After Macron was defeated by the far right in the European elections, he demanded a rematch with much higher stakes.
But the initial reaction has recently turned into confusion and dismay as Washington has begun to accept that Macron is heading for defeat.
"People realized from the beginning that the decision to hold early elections was risky, but in recent weeks it has become increasingly clear that Macron did not have his ducks in a row to give his bold gambit the best chance of success," said Jeff Rathke, a former US diplomat.
Biden and his team are not in a position to question the political gambits at the moment. The U.S. president was in trouble during Thursday's debate with former President Donald Trump - a duel that Biden pushed early in the 2024 campaign in hopes of shaking up the race. But the move backfired, and some Democrats are now considering replacing Biden on the ticket.
When asked about the French election, administration officials are cautious in their public comments, going so far as to express confusion and downplay the significance of the vote in front of journalists.

Internal discussions by President Joe Biden's aides about the French election "were more about wondering why Macron called the election than discussing its possible results or implications," one official said. | Photo: Jim Watson
Internal discussions among Biden's aides about the French election "were more about puzzlement over why Macron called the election than discussing possible outcomes or implications," one official said.
Behind closed doors, however, there are concerns.
They fear that Macron's move could have repercussions far beyond France, weakening the European Union and, in the long run, adding further challenges to the United States and its allies in places like Ukraine. And none of this, Biden's advisers believe, was necessary.
politico.com/gnews.cz-jav
https://www.politico.com/news/2024/06/29/macron-french-election-biden-00165818
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