French President Macron vows to earn Donald Trump's respect

President-elect Donald Trump isn't even in the White House yet and world leaders -- smart ones -- are lining up to win him over for his upcoming term in Washington, D.C.

According to the Washington Examiner, one of those world leaders is French President Emmanuel Macron, who warned Europe against projecting any weakness on the world stage while Trump is in the White House.

Unlike his thoughts on President Joe Biden and his administration, Macron emphasized the importance of earning the United States' respect under Trump and vowed to do whatever it takes to earn it.

Macron issued the warning and the declaration during a New Year’s speech at Paris’s Elysee Palace, just weeks before Trump officially takes over the Oval Office.

Macron urged Europe to make the moves to project physical and economic strength while Trump has his eye on the continent during his presidency.

Part of that respect, Macron promised, will come as a result of Europe as a whole being less dependent on the United States, which would be a striking contrast the current state of affairs.

The French president held nothing back in mapping out a gameplan for France and the rest of Europe for the next few decades, noting that the United States will likely be focused more on its own defense and less on other countries.

"The question is whether Europeans want to produce what they need for their own security over the next 20 years or not. It’s a safe bet that in 15 to 20 years’ time, the American priority will be its own defense, and much more so around and in the China Sea than in Europe," Macron said.

He added, "If we depend on the American defense industrial and technological base, then we’ll be faced with cruel dilemmas and shameful strategic dependencies."

Trump has often criticized NATO allies in Europe for not pulling their weight of the financial and military burden of keeping the organization strong and ready.

On the campaign trail, Trump vowed to push those same NATO allies to contribute their fair share.

Trump slammed NATO allies for the same reasons during his first presidency, and seems to be doubling down on his vow to make European NATO allies do their part this time around.

It was reported that the year before Trump's first speech on the matter, "the U.S. contributed more funds to NATO than Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Great Britain, and Canada combined," the Examiner wrote.

The world will look much different under Trump, and we're here for it.