French President Emmanuel Macron was stranded on a New York City street behind a police barrier that closed the roads in anticipation of President Donald Trump's motorcade on Monday, Breitbart reported. In a video of the moment that went viral, Macron is seen good-naturedly calling Trump after a police officer denied his request to cross.
Macron was on his way to the French embassy when the street closures blocked his vehicle from making the trip. The French president attempted to negotiate with an officer from the New York Police Department to cross the barricade before he called Trump for help.
"Awkward moment: Macron stopped in New York because of Trump’s motorcade," the European news outlet Nexta posted to X, formerly Twitter. "Police who had blocked roads for Donald Trump’s motorcade mistakenly stopped the car of French President Emmanuel Macron. Macron got out of the vehicle, called Trump, and jokingly asked him to 'clear the road."
Awkward moment: Macron stopped in New York because of Trump’s motorcade
Police who had blocked roads for Donald Trump’s motorcade mistakenly stopped the car of French President Emmanuel Macron.
Macron got out of the vehicle, called Trump, and jokingly asked him to “clear the… pic.twitter.com/fcRd3Md336
— NEXTA (@nexta_tv) September 23, 2025
As the New York Times reported, Macron and Trump are in the Big Apple along with other foreign dignitaries for this week's U.N. General Assembly meeting. From the video shared to X, which was originally captured by French news outlet Brut, Macron was seen taking the whole thing in stride.
"I have 10 people with me. I go to the French embassy," Macron first told a police officer in the video. Unfortunately, nobody, including the French leader, would be permitted past the police line while Trump's motorcade was expected through.
"I’m sorry, President, I’m really sorry. It’s just that everything’s been frozen right now. There’s a motorcade coming right now. I’m sorry," the NYPD officer told Macron.
Ever the diplomat, the French president tried to smooth-talk the officer some more. "I negotiate with you," Macron said, again to no avail. That's when Macron took out his cell phone and called a leader with infinitely more power than he has, whether on the streets of New York or the global political arena: Trump.
"How are you? Guess what? I am waiting the street because everything is frozen for you," Macron said into the phone and then chuckled. The video then cuts to Macron walking down the street with the phone still up to his ear. Later, the video shows Macron greeting a man and a woman on the street, with whom he takes a picture just after the man kisses Macron on the forehead.
The Times noted that Macron's staff confirmed that the video was accurate and that the French president reached out to Trump while waiting for permission to cross the street. His office also stated that Trump and Macron had a "very warm and amicable" conversation, which he hoped to carry over into a discussion of the situation in Gaza with Trump and officials from Qatar.
The NYPD thanked Macron for his generosity in handling the situation, as thousands of its officers are deployed to keep the city safe for world leaders during the yearly summit. "Merci to President Macron for recognizing the dedication and tireless efforts of our officers who safeguard this annual event,” the NYPD said.
Unfortunately, Macron didn't strike the same friendly tone when speaking about the war in Gaza during a bilateral meeting with Trump. According to Reuters, Trump disagrees with France and other nations that recognize Palestine as a state, particularly after the savage invasion of Israel launched by Hamas in October 2023.
"I think it honors Hamas, and you can't do that because of October 7. You just can't do that," Trump told reporters this week during the meeting. Macron disagreed on this critical issue while sitting alongside Trump. "Nobody forgets the 7th of October. But after almost two years of war, what is the result?" Macron said. "This is not the right way to proceed," he added.
Trump is very skilled at handling world leaders, such as Macron, and is known for his ease with those who head both friendly and adversarial nations. While Macron spoke out against Trump's viewpoint at the U.N., where America is routinely outnumbered in such matters and is too often disrespected, Macron was astute enough to know that aligning with Trump's interests was a winning strategy on the streets of New York.
