During his state visit to the White House in April 2018, President Macron’s proposal to join hands in dealing with China was rebuffed by Trump who reportedly remarked that the EU is a "worse" trade offender than China.
Underpinning the renewed U.S. outreach to Brussels is the perception in Washington that the new EU team led by Commission President-elect Ursula von der Leyen, Council President-elect Charles Michel, High Representative Josep Borrell, and European Parliament President David Sassoli, represent a less "hostile" group than the outgoing set of EU leaders. It is certainly true that von der Leyen is known as a staunch transatlanticist back home in Berlin. Likewise, Michel has previously expressed support for continued partnership with Washington under President Trump. But these new personalities aside, fundamental policy differences between the two sides are likely to remain and may in some cases even get worse over the next year.
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