Talks with Trump are like sausages, says French President Macron: Report

French President Emmanuel Macron, who is known to share a hot and cold relation with his US counterpart Donald Trump, said on Tuesday, June 5, that his phone calls with the latter and other international leaders were like sausages and it is not better to explain what is inside them, Reuters reported.

Macron said this at a press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu when asked about a CNN report on Monday, June 4, that said that a phone call between him and Trump last week was "terrible", the report added.

Macron borrowed a quote from Otto von Bismarck, the 19th century Prussian statesman, to explain his stance on refraining from remarking off the record on his talks with other world leaders, the Reuters report said.

"As Bismarck used to say, if we explained to people how sausages were made, it's unlikely they'd keep eating them," the report quoted Macron as saying.

"So I like it when people see the finished meal, but I'm not convinced the kitchen commentary helps with delivering the meal or eating it."

Macron reportedly lashed out at Trump's recent decision to impose tariffs on imports from American allies, saying they were "illegal" and a "mistake". Macron neither could convince Trump against withdrawing from the Iran deal of 2015 which he did last month and the sour moments in two of the oldest Atlantic allies came despite Trump and his spouse Melania hosting Macron and his wife Brigitte over the first-ever state dinner of the current American administration in late April.

A read-out from the French presidency of Macron's call with Trump revealed its ugly side, Reuters reported, adding that a shorter White House readout of the same call said that it focused on trade and immigration.

"Macron thought he would be able to speak his mind, based on the relationship. But Trump can't handle being criticised like that," the Reuters report cited the CNN quoting an unidentified source as saying. "Just bad. It was terrible."