President Emmanuel Macron arrived on Friday in New Orleans, a city emblematic of historic Franco-American ties, to promote the French language and conclude his three-day state visit to the US.
The day after a lavish reception at the White House that sealed the “friendship” of the French President with his US counterpart, Joe Biden, he landed in the Louisiana city for a brief stop.
After being welcomed by a traditional Mardi Gras Indian and a member of the Crescent City All Stars Second Line band on the tarmac at Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport in Kenner, Mr Macron and his wife, Brigitte, walked through the streets of the city's lively French Quarter.
Removing his jacket, Mr Macron strolled beside New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell, clasping the hands of well-wishers and beaming widely.
He spoke briefly with women holding signs in support of protests in Iran.
During an impromptu press briefing, he praised “a land of creolisation” where “French is loved”, and prepared later to announce a programme to broaden access to French language training.
He had said in Washington that he wanted to renovate the image of French in the US, where it is “sometimes seen as elitist”.
Before taking off from Washington on Friday morning, Mr Macron attended a breakfast with representatives of digital companies during which he, according to the Elysee, recalled “all the efforts” made since his first term to “make France the leading European country in tech”.
Once a French colonial city, New Orleans was sold to the US by Napoleon Bonaparte as part of the Louisiana Purchase of 1803, and Mr Macron has called it “the quintessential francophone land”.
-
US President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden welcome French President Emmanuel Macron and wife Brigitte to the White House for a state dinner on December 1. AFP -
Ms Biden shows the Macrons into the White House's Blue Room. AP -
It was the first official state visit of the Biden administration. EPA -
Guests dined in heated tents amid candle-style lighting on the South Lawn. Reuters -
The presidents make a toast. AFP -
Cheers for the Bidens in the dining area. AP -
The Macrons enter. AP -
Actress Ariana DeBose and designer Henry Munoz III arrive at the White House. Reuters -
Mr Biden and Mr Macron have found common ground on the trip. AP -
The couples pose for a photo at the North Portico of the White House. EPA -
Christian Louboutin, the French fashion designer, arrives for the state dinner. EPA -
Singer Jon Batiste and his wife, author Suleika Jaouad, make their way into the White House. EPA -
Janet Yellen, Secretary of the Treasury, and economist George Akerlof. EPA -
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and daughter Jessica. EPA -
The President's daughter Ashley Biden, right, and her friend Elysia Bevan. EPA -
Stephen Breyer, a former Supreme Court associate justice. EPA -
Batiste and Jaouad in the White House. EPA -
Congressman Gregory Meeks and Ebony Meeks-Laidley. EPA -
US singer John Legend and his wife, model Chrissy Teigen. EPA -
Mr Macron and his wife Brigitte in a candid moment on the North Portico of the White House. EPA -
US actress Jennifer Garner and daughter Violet Affleck. EPA -
Anna Wintour, editor in chief at Vogue, and Australian director Baz Luhrmann. EPA -
US Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas and his wife Tanya Mayorkas. Reuters -
Katherine Tai, US trade representative. EPA -
Actress Julia Louis-Dreyfus and her son, actor Charlie Hall. Reuters -
A closer look at Wintour. EPA -
Television host Stephen Colbert and his wife Evelyn McGee-Colbert. Reuters -
Fashion designer Gabriela Hearst and Stephanie Lasnier de Lavalette. EPA -
House Majority Whip Representative James Clyburn and Virginia Newman. EPA -
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and daughter Alexandra. EPA -
Mark Milley, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Hollyanne Milley. EPA -
Debra Haaland, Secretary of the Interior, and Lloyd Sayre. EPA -
Julia Louis-Dreyfus with her son, actor Charles Hall. EPA -
Peter Buttigieg, Secretary of Transportation, and Chasten Glezman Buttigieg. EPA -
Mika Brzezinski and Joe Scarborough, hosts of MSNBC's Morning Joe. EPA -
US Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield and Lafayette Greenfield II. AP -
ABC television host Robin Roberts and Gaila Amber Laign. EPA -
US Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm. AFP -
Mr Biden said he would not apologise for a new climate and tax law that European leaders say unfairly subsidises US companies, but that he would make accommodations. Bloomberg -
Steve Jobs's widow Laurene Powell Jobs and son Reed. EPA -
The Bidens lead the Macrons into the state dinner. AFP -
Governor of Connecticut Edward Lamont and wife Annie Lamont hold up a sign for Mr Macron. AFP -
Valerie Biden Owens, the President's sister. EPA -
Ms Macron steps out of a limousine as she arrives at the White House. EPA -
Ms Biden and Ms Macron are both teachers. EPA -
The Bidens come downstairs to greet their guests. AP -
Ms Biden speaks alongside Batiste as the Bidens host the Macrons for a State Dinner at the White House. Reuters -
Dinner time for Mr and Mrs Macron. Reuters -
Batiste serenades the attendees. AFP
Besides celebrating French-American ties, Mr Macron will pay tribute to the victims of Hurricane Katrina, which killed more than 1,800 people in and around New Orleans and caused billions of dollars in damage in 2005.
Accompanied by French film director Claude Lelouch and dancer and choreographer Benjamin Millepied, Mr Macron is scheduled to meet local artists and prominent cultural figures of New Orleans, known as the birthplace of jazz.
Shortly after his arrival, Mr Macron and European Affairs Minister Catherine Colonna met Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards. As Mr Macron looked on, Ms Colonna and Mr Edwards signed an accord to promote and carry out joint clean energy initiatives.
The visit came on the heels of a lavish dinner at the White House, headlined by master jazzman Jon Batiste, who comes from a family of New Orleans musicians.
Mr Macron's state visit — the first such formal occasion since Mr Biden took office in January 2021 — symbolised how Washington and Paris have buried last year's bitter spat over the way Australia pulled out of a French submarine deal in favour of acquiring US nuclear subs instead.
The visit featured a full military honour guard for Mr Macron, including servicemembers from the marines, army, air force and even a detachment of soldiers in 18th-century Revolutionary War garb.
-
French President Emmanuel Macron and Secretary of State Antony Blinken toast each other during a luncheon at the State Department in Washington. Reuters -
Vice President Kamala Harris and Mr Macron discussed space exploration earlier this week and the French President lobbied to place one of his compatriots on the spacecraft that will send a new batch of astronauts to the Moon in 2025. EPA -
Mr Macron said that the US and France are 'in a certain way, in charge of universal values'. EPA -
Mr Macron referred to Ms Harris as 'Vice President Kamala'. AFP -
She did not appear to take offence. AFP -
Mr Macron kept guests waiting when his meeting with President Joe Biden ran long. He apologised and joked: 'We fixed everything.' AFP -
Mr Blinken said of France: 'We are unwavering security allies, close economic partners and, most of all, cherished friends.' AP -
Mr Blinken said in his opening remarks that 'now officially recognised by Unesco: the French baguette is a global cultural treasure'. AFP -
Former US secretary of state Henry Kissinger speaks with Susan Rice, director of the US Domestic Policy Council, before the luncheon. EPA -
Mr Kissinger is 99 years old. EPA -
US ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield attends the luncheon for Mr Macron. EPA -
Speaker of the US House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi attends the luncheon. EPA
