French President Emmanuel Macron was ridiculed online for his choice of words when congratulating President-elect Donald Trump.
The 46-year-old was one of many world leaders who came to X to toast Trump for his victory against Vice President Kamala Harris.
“Congratulations President @realDonaldTrump,” Macron wrote, using the president-elect’s nickname.
‘Ready to work together as we did for four years. With your convictions and mine. With respect and ambition for more peace and prosperity.’
But Macron’s message quickly came under scrutiny for his use of the word “convictions,” given Trump’s felony convictions, with some calling him a “boss-level troll.”
French President Emmanuel Macron has been branded a troll for his congratulatory message to President-elect Donald Trump on his victory over Vice President Kamala Harris.
He said he was “ready to work together as we did for four years.” With your convictions and mine. With respect and ambition for more peace and prosperity’
A member of the French president’s communications team. he insisted to the Huffington Post‘The word “convictions” in the president’s tweet means beliefs and cannot be associated with the meaning of convictions as condemnation/sanctions.’
Still, many X users criticized Macron for what they called his “trolling” of Trump.
“Trying to figure out if Macron has really achieved boss-level troll status by bringing up Trump’s ‘convictions,'” one wrote, while another deemed Macros the “best troll ever.”
Henry Morris, a retired Conservative MP, also commented: ‘His convictions. All 34,” while a fourth suggested “The convictions don’t translate well.”
Macron’s message quickly came under scrutiny for his use of the word “convictions,” given Trump’s felony convictions.
Trump was previously found guilty on all charges in his landmark criminal trial over “hush money” paid to Stormy Daniels in New York City in May.
The jury of seven men and five women in Manhattan Criminal Court deliberated for nearly 10 hours before convicting the former president of 34 counts of falsifying business records.
Each charge carries a potential maximum sentence of up to four years in prison, but Judge Juan Merchán could decide to impose a lesser sentence on the president-elect such as probation, home confinement, community service or even a fine.
The judge also gave himself until Nov. 12 to decide whether to completely withdraw Trump’s conviction following the Supreme Court ruling that granted him partial presidential immunity.
A spokesperson for the French president insisted that “the word ‘condemnations’ in the president’s tweet means beliefs and cannot be associated with the meaning of convictions as condemnation/sanctions.”
If Merchan decides to uphold the conviction, Trump’s lawyers are expected to request a delayed sentence so they can appeal.
If this is unsuccessful, lawyers would likely go to state appeals courts to appeal the immunity decision, which would also delay Trump’s sentencing, possibly by several months.
Trump’s lawyers are also likely to use their appeals in the case to question whether a state judge can even sentence a president-elect, which could cause the case to be debated in court for years.
But even once Trump takes the oath of office, he won’t have the power to pardon himself because this is a state case.
Meanwhile, Trump is due to appear for sentencing on November 26.
Trump also faces four charges in federal court for allegedly spreading false allegations of voter fraud to try to block the collection and certification of votes from the 2020 election, which he lost to Democrat Joe Biden.
The president-elect has previously asked federal courts to grant him presidential immunity, delaying the Washington DC case for months, although the federal judge overseeing the case is still deciding to what extent Trump is actually covered by presidential immunity for his efforts to revoke his 2020 candidacy. election loss.
Trump was found guilty on all charges in his landmark criminal trial over money paid to Stormy Daniels in New York City in May.
Since Trump will only be sworn into office on Inauguration Day, Jan. 20, U.S. Special Counsel Jack Smith has time to think about his next steps before Trump likely makes good on his promise to fire Smith.
One question is whether Trump, as president-elect, would have the same legal protection from prosecution as a sitting president, which would be decided by the Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel.
Smith had also accused Trump of illegally retaining classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida after his first term ended in 2021 and of obstructing the US government’s efforts to recover the records.
Florida-based U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon, Trump’s nominee to the position, dismissed all charges in July after determining that Smith was improperly appointed to the position and did not have the authority to bring the case.
The ruling abruptly ended the case, ensuring that there would be no trial before the presidential election.
Smith’s team is appealing the ruling, but Trump’s promise to fire Smith “within two seconds” of taking office likely signals the end of the case.
Smith is also now said to be in talks with the Justice Department to end both federal prosecutions after spending three years and more than $35 million in taxpayer funds trying to bring the 78-year-old to trial.
Special counsel Jack Smith is said to be in talks with the Justice Department to end the two federal prosecutions of Trump.
Meanwhile, prosecutors in Fulton County, Georgia, have used the state’s racketeering laws, which were developed to fight organized crime, to charge Trump with an alleged conspiracy to overturn his loss in the battleground state. 2020 elections.
The president-elect will not be able to end the prosecution, but his attorney has said in court that they will seek to pause any Trump-related activity based on the argument that a president should not face the burden of criminal prosecution while in office.
Trump and eight of his 14 co-defendants in the case are also asking a Georgia appeals court to disqualify the lead prosecutor, Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, for alleged misconduct stemming from a romantic relationship. that he had with a fellow prosecutor.
Oral arguments are scheduled for December 5.
