The Vice President's visit earned sparse coverage during prime-time hours on France’s TF1 on Tuesday. Expectations for the bilateral conference at the Elysee Palace were measured among those who spoke to the Washington Examiner.
Asked what he thought about Harris's visit, Xavier, a restaurant worker in Place Collette, stated, “Nothing at all.“
“Politically, I don't know what the purpose is,“ he added.
According to a senior administration official, Macron and Harris will meet face-to-face Wednesday to discuss climate change, space, the economy, supply chains, global health, and the Indo-Pacific.
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The visit comes just months after a rift over a U.S. plan to provide Australia with nuclear-powered submarine technology. The deal prompted Australia to cut short a multi-billion dollar defense contract with France, causing major strife.
Asked whether Harris intends to raise the submarine issue in the meeting, a senior administration official replied she is “focused on moving forward and not looking backward.”
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Despite a robust economic post-lockdown resurgence earlier this year, French voters face increasing energy costs and inflationary warnings. With presidential elections on the horizon, kitchen-table issues are a priority for voters.
Tuesday evening, as Macron prepared to address the country in remarks on the coronavirus pandemic, Harris slipped out of her hotel for a private dinner with the second gentleman Douglas Emhoff at the U.S. Chief of Mission’s residence. A senior administration official announced she would not be watching the President’s remarks on account of the timing.
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The submarine issue remains front and center for many in the city, signifying a breach of trust in the relationship that won't be easily fixed.
Mohamed El Hachmi, a driver in the city, told the Washington Examiner that Harris’s visit was an effort to paper over differences with France after dealing a massive blow to the country. “It’s politics,” he said.
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By sending Harris and not President Biden, Washington showed a lack of respect, El Hachmi suggested. “It’s not a $400 million blow. It’s billions of dollars' worth of business that collapsed.”
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An official said to expect deliverables from the five-day visit, though said little about what these may be.
“This engagement is important. This is diplomacy,” the official said.
Observers stepped out on high balconies to catch a glimpse of the Vice President’s motorcade en route to the Institut Pasteur Biomedical Research Center on Tuesday, where Harris’s late mother researched cancer biomarkers more than three decades ago.
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Speaking to reporters, Harris suggested that politicians and government officials could learn something from the laboratory bench.
“One of the things I think people in politics and government should really take from the approach of scientists: Scientists operate with a hypothesis. I love that. A hypothesis. It’s well thought out. It’s well planned,” Harris said. “They start out with a hypothesis. And then they test it out — knowing invariably if you’re trying something for the first time, there will be glitches, there will be mistakes.”
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