France’s Macron gets 3-minute ovation from US Congress

Washington (AFP) – French President Emmanuel Macron received a warm, three-minute standing ovation from US lawmakers Wednesday before delivering — in English — a rare address to Congress, which he hailed as a “sanctuary of democracy.”

Macron shook hands with senators and representatives, and pressed his hand to his heart several times before a speech expected to touch on the two countries’ shared history and international challenges.

“Our two nations are rooted in the same soil, grounded in the ideals of the American and French revolutions,” Macron said. 

“We have worked together for the universal ideals of liberty, tolerance, and equal rights.”