President Donald Trump took it upon himself to remark on the looks of Brigitte Macron, France's first lady, during his visit to Paris Thursday.
"As Macron and Trump bid goodbye to first ladies, Trump looks Brigitte up and down," tweeted Agence France-Presse correspondent Adam Plowright. The U.S. president then spoke.
"You know, you're in such great shape...beautiful," Trump said, according to Plowright.
As Macron and Trump bid goodbye to first ladies, Trump looks Brigitte up and down. 'She looks great.. beautiful' https://t.co/4X7D6qGFCI
— Adam Plowright (@ADAMPLOW) July 13, 2017
Exact Trump words to Brigitte Macron: 'You know, you're in such great shape...beautiful.' https://t.co/s4hLREulNR
— Adam Plowright (@ADAMPLOW) July 13, 2017
Things had already gotten weird between Trump and Macron when the president greeted the French first lady during their first meeting. It looked as if the two were planning for a handshake, but that shifted into a half-hug, which morphed into a cheek kiss and Trump gripping and shaking the first lady's hand as if it were a video-game controller. Trump is scheduled to spend about 24 hours in Paris as a guest of the city's Bastille Day celebrations Friday.
the *other* trump-macron handshake pic.twitter.com/qpDmMTUyWC
— Amanda Wills (@AmandaWills) July 13, 2017
The comments from Trump seemingly remarking on the figure of Brigitte Macron—who is, of course, married to French President Emmanuel Macron—aren't exactly out of character for the U.S. president. He has long made his opinions known about women's looks, and hasn't really halted the practice while in the White House. Last month, he called over an Irish reporter in the Oval Office to remark on her smile, saying, while on a phone call with Irish Prime Minister Taoiseach Leo Varadkar, "We have all of this beautiful Irish press.... She has a nice smile on her face, so I bet she treats you well." Also last month, President Trump attacked television host Mika Brzezinski by claiming he once saw her "bleeding badly from a face-lift."
Trump's road to the White House involved insulting the appearance of female candidates who tried to get in his way. A Rolling Stone article revealed he insulted the looks of former Republican candidate Carly Fiorina by saying, "Look at that face!... Would anyone vote for that? Can you imagine that, the face of our next president?... I mean, she's a woman, and I'm not s'posedta say bad things, but really, folks, come on. Are we serious?"
During the general election Trump said of Hillary Clinton, "I just don't think she has a presidential look, and you need a presidential look."
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