French President Emmanuel Macron, fresh from his own political struggles back home, meets Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Thursday in the wake of the Canadian leader’s survival of a no-confidence vote.
Macron, who arrived late Wednesday from New York where he had spoken at the United Nations, was received by his host at the Rideau Cottage residence in Ottawa, the Canadian capital, for a working dinner.
Trudeau, who appeared without a tie and relaxed on the steps of his home, had just escaped censure in a motion filed by his main rival, Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre.
The prime minister and his guest, who both embodied a new generation of young, optimistic leaders, are now experiencing similar political headwinds.
At the G7 summit in Italy, shortly after Macron’s election in May 2017, their apparent chumminess — dubbed a diplomatic “bromance” — spurred many a headline.
But seven years later, Macron is …