For the first time since Donald Trump’s election, Emmanuel Macron yesterday travelled to Washington to meet with his American counterpart and discuss potential peace plans in Ukraine. While he gently corrected the US President, who claimed that Europeans had not paid for the war effort, both men got along well, with Macron regularly having kind words for his host, “dear Donald”.

This cordiality is nothing new, starting as soon as both first took office eight years ago. In fact, they provided perhaps one of the most surprising political shots of 2017. On Bastille Day in Paris that year, they sat next to each other, enjoying France’s world-renowned military parade.

This visit marked the beginning of liberal standard-bearer Macron’s attempts to become Europe’s “Trump Whisperer”, by having the former mogul’s ear and doing damage control for French or continental interests. “Le Bromance” as it was dubbed in the press, included muscular handshakes, hand-holding, and eventful but largely harmonious official visits.

And yet, for all of his efforts, the French President had little to show from his charm offensive. In his first term, Trump left multilateral organisations, ripped up the Iran nuclear deal, and slapped tariffs on European goods. The new administration seems even more committed to upending the transatlantic relationship, notably by threatening a slew of tariffs on EU member states. In this context, it is hard to see how any whispering might attenuate the upcoming blows.

This is not the first time that Macron has vastly overestimated his capacity to overcome political and diplomatic challenges by relying on his bonhomie. While his charm managed to win over many influential domestic backers early on, the same cannot be said on the international stage.

Aside from his Trump-whispering, Macron famously spent hours on the phone with Vladimir Putin in the weeks leading up to the war in Ukraine. He was even “reasonably optimistic” after meeting Putin in Moscow two weeks before the invasion of Ukraine by Russian forces. In the months that followed, he continued to hope for a breakthrough with Putin, in the process alienating many of his Central European partners.

Yesterday, it seemed, Macron had shed some of his illusions. The objective was damage control rather than a decisive breakthrough. He highlighted that both countries shared the objective of attaining peace in Ukraine. But while Trump wants peace — and Ukrainian minerals — at all costs and as soon as possible, Macron tried to frame the conversation differently. He reminded Trump that Russia was the aggressor, and that a good peace would be lasting with tangible security guarantees — namely from America. These are subtle framing attempts which are unlikely to have a significant effect. On his Truth Social platform yesterday, the US President barely acknowledged the points made by Macron, focusing instead on how “everyone expressed their goal of seeing the war end.” And with many outlets concentrating on Macron’s “fact-checking” contribution, the exchange might yet provoke Trump into lashing out.

But while this meeting is unlikely to stir much change in US policy, it has sent a positive signal back to Europe. With a growing chorus of European leaders now singing Macron’s tune on European strategic autonomy — a list that now includes Friedrich Merz, the leader of Germany’s victorious CDU — the French President is probably wary of gloating. He will want to reassure partners in Europe that he will continue to do what he can to maintain the transatlantic relationship, rather than giving in to the temptation of blurting: “I told you so.”

Ultimately, Macron’s best chance for a diplomatic breakthrough will be in Europe. The transactional nature of the Trump White House means that the Europeans will have to step up to guarantee their own security. And in that endeavour, Trump has been an unlikely but efficient salesman for Macron’s pitch.