Trump’s America Map Backfires; Macron, Carney Unite On French Territory ‘Annexed’ Online

Emmanuel Macron has travelled to Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon after Donald Trump published a controversial map placing the French archipelago beneath the American flag. Standing on the territory just off Canada’s Newfoundland coast, Macron declared that the islands remain unquestionably French and delivered a thinly veiled rebuke to Trump, saying France should not have to repeat that fact every morning because “people have strange ideas or say strange things.” Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney is joining Macron, becoming the first Canadian leader to make an official visit to the islands. Their appearance carries unmistakable symbolism after Trump repeatedly spoke about turning Canada into America’s 51st state and posted an image absorbing Canada, Greenland, Iceland and several French territories into an enlarged United States. The visit also reflects Canada’s accelerating movement toward Europe as Ottawa seeks to reduce its strategic dependence on Washington. A remote archipelago of only around 5,800 residents has consequently become the stage for a larger message: allied borders cannot be erased through a social-media post.