Macron corrects Trump over false claims that ISIS is defeated

French President Emmanuel Macron did not mince words
as he discussed ISIS with US President Donald Trump on Tuesday at a NATO summit
in London, fact-checking his American counterpart as they met on the global
stage.
In an apparent jab at Trump's repeated false claims
that ISIS is defeated, Macron said: "I think No. 1 priority, because it's
not yet finished, is to get rid of ISIS and these terrorist groups. This is our
No. 1 priority. And it's not yet done. I'm sorry to say that."
In October, Trump said the US has defeated
"100% of the ISIS Caliphate."
But the US military is engaged in operations against
ISIS. The terrorist group has lost territory — its so-called caliphate — but is
estimated to still have up to 18,000 fighters in Iraq and Syria.
"We have captured 100% of the caliphate,"
Trump said on Tuesday, though he acknowledged that the group is still active
and emphasized that the US is working to prevent ISIS from regrouping.
Macron also corrected Trump on the subject of
foreign ISIS fighters imprisoned in Syria.
"Many are from France, many are from Germany,
many are from UK," Trump said. "They're mostly from Europe, and some
of the countries are agreeing. I have not spoken to the president about
that."
The US president then turned to Macron and added:
"Would you like some nice ISIS fighters? I can give them to you. You can
take every one you want."
Macron replied: "Let's be serious. The very
large numbers of fighters you have on the ground are the fighters coming from
Syria, from Iraq and the region."
The French president conceded that foreign fighters
from Europe had joined ISIS but added that they represent "a tiny minority
of the overall problem we have in the region."
Earlier Tuesday, Trump went after Macron's comments
on NATO in an interview with The Economist last month. Macron said NATO was
experiencing a "brain death" and was critical of Trump's approach to
the historic alliance.
"We find ourselves for the first time with an
American president who doesn't share our idea of the European project, and
American policy is diverging from this project," Macron said.
Trump, who has frequently criticized NATO and its
members, said Macron's comments were "very, very nasty" and
"insulting."