Macron Reportedly Used Tricks From Trump's Book in Trade Debate With POTUS

When pre-POTUS Donald Trump published his 1987 book “The Art of the Deal” on how to succeed in business, he probably couldn’t have imagined that some of his tricky maneuvers might be used against him in the future.

French President Emmanuel Macron has taken over some tricks from Trump’s book, “The Art of the Deal” to address the expanding trade row between transatlantic allies, Axios reported, citing an anonymous source.

READ MORE: Macron Intends to Reorganize Cabinet Following Aide's Misbehaviour — Reports

During a one-on-one meeting on the sidelines of this month’s NATO summit in Brussels, Trump reportedly suggested that Macron tell EU leaders to negotiate trade issues with the United States, but Macron smilingly refused.

"I read the Art of the Deal. I know that we need to retaliate first so we have some leverage in the negotiation," Macron replied.

Relations between the US and its European allies hit a new low since Washington slapped 25 percent tariffs on steel and 10 percent on aluminum imports in June as Trump has repeatedly blasted his transatlantic partners for “unfair” tariffs on US goods. In a symmetrical move, the EU imposed duties on US products, such as jeans, whiskey, motorbikes, speedboats, worth 2.8 billion euros ($3.3 billion).

In another development, EU Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmstrom said last week that European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker's visit to the United States on July 25 would focus on de-escalating the Brussels-Washington trade tensions.