President Donald Trump opened up a meeting with European leaders by gushing about his political frenemy Emmanuel Macron of France.

Trump praised Macron, seated beside him, during a day filled with meetings with European leaders and Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky, aiming to find a resolution to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.

“Everyone knows President Macron of France,” Trump remarked as he went around the table in the White House’s East Room, warmly introducing European leaders who hurried to Washington in support of Zelensky’s talks.

Trump described Macron as “someone who’s been with me from the start,” mentioning that Macron was “one of the first foreign dignitaries I met,” and expressed fondness for him since their initial encounter.

‘I like him even more now – that’s pretty good. That’s unusual,’ Trump said, underlining for effect, ‘That’s a pretty unusual thing.’

Trump’s comments certainly smoothed over the drama of their first encounter during his first term when the two presidents engaged in an epic viral handshake.

Trump was less complimentary about Macron while rushing back from the G7 summit in Canada in June, after Macron tried to explain the hasty exit by saying it had to do with a potential ceasefire between Iran and Israel.

‘Wrong! He is ‘publicity seeking’ and always gets it wrong,’ Trump posted later, days before dispatching U.S. bombers to hit Iranian nuclear sites.

President Donald Trump called France’s President Emmanuel Macron ‘someone who’s been with me from the beginning’

After rolling out the red carpet for Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska Friday, Trump talked up the attributes of many of the people seated around the rectangular table. 

All were more traditional allies. 

He called the UK’s Prime Minister Keir Starmer ‘our friend and my friend’ and said he was ‘doing really well.’

‘People like him a lot we all like him,’ Trump said, a few weeks after meeting him at his own Scottish golf course last month. He called Italy’s Giorgia Meloni ‘a really great leader and an inspiration.’

Turning to Chancellor Friedrich Merz of Germany, Trump called the newish leader a ‘very strong person and a very strong leader and very highly respected in Germany,’ which may have been lesser praise.

Trump and Macron have clashed over issues including his hasty departure from the G7 in Canada

Trump complimented European leaders after rolling out the red carpet for Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska

The complimentary remark colored a meeting with high stakes for Ukraine, whose civilians are still being killed by Russian drones and missiles

One thing Trump didn’t mention was the evidently the new hair regimen being sported by his French ally. 

Close-ups of the French president revealed a multi-colored hair palette including some brown on the top that spackled over any thin spots, as well as gray specks on his sideburns.

Trump was similarly upbeat about the appearance of a new entry to the table the president of Finland, Alexander Stubb. 

After having trouble finding Stubb, who has golfed with the president at Mar-a-Lago, Trump told him: ‘You look better than I’ve ever seen you look.’ 

He told Stubb: ‘You’ve done a great job and we wanted to have you here because you’re somebody that we all respect.’

The Finnish president was the one male world leader to sport a double-breasted suit giving a group photograph antiquated look recalling peace deals and attempted peace deals to European conflicts from years past.

Trump also complimented Zelensky’s appearance while greeting the Ukrainian, who wore a jacket today, although not quite a suit and tie.

He drew scorn from Trump and Vice President JD Vance during the calamitous Oval Office meeting in February after being dressed casually.