French President Macron gives big speech to Congress filled with subtle shots at Trump after days of flaunting their 'bromance'

REUTERS/Brian Snyder

• French President Emmanuel Macron called on the US to reject "isolationism" and "extreme nationalism" as he delivered an address to the US Congress on Wednesday. 
• The French president urged the US against "closing the door to the world," stating it would not "stop the evolution of the world."
• Many interpreted this as subtle shots at President Donald Trump's worldview, despite previous days of flaunting their "bromance" on Macron's visit to the US.

French President Emmanuel Macron called on the US to reject "isolationism" and "extreme nationalism" as he delivered an address to the US Congress on Wednesday.

The French leader's apparent bromance with President Donald Trump did not prevent him from subtly attacking Trump's political philosophy. 

"We are living in a time of anger and fear," Macron said, adding that "anger only freezes and weakens us." Drawing upon former President Franklin D. Roosevelt's immortal words, Macron said, "The only thing we have to fear is fear itself."

The French president urged the US against "closing the door to the world," stating it would not "stop the evolution of the world."

These words could be interpreted as a rebuke of Trump's "America First" agenda, including his desire to build a wall along the US-Mexico border.

Macron contended that the present marks a "critical moment for the world" but expressed optimism about the international community's ability to confront the challenges ahead.

"I am convinced that if we decide to open our eyes wider, we will be stronger," he said. "We will overcome the dangers; we will not let the work of extreme nationalism shake a world full of hope for greater prosperity."

"I do not share the fascination for new strong powers, the abandonment of freedom and the illusion of nationalism," he added. "Therefore, distinguished members of the Congress, let us put them aside, write our own history and a future we want."