Macron caps US state visit with New Orleans stop

Visiting presidential couple walk through historic French Quarter, taking time to meet throngs of well-wishers

French President Emmanuel Macron is welcomed by members of the Crescent City All Star Band upon arrival at Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport in Kenner, Louisiana on December 2, 2022. (Photo by Ludovic MARIN / POOL / AFP)

French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte Macron disembark from a plane at Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport in Kenner, Louisiana. AFP

French President Emmanuel Macron is welcomed by members of the Crescent City All Star Band upon arrival at Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport in Kenner, Louisiana on December 2, 2022. - President Emmanuel Macron on Friday headed to the southern American city of New Orleans, which retains much of its French-infused heritage, as he wraps up a rare three-day state visit to the United States. (Photo by Ludovic MARIN / POOL / AFP)

A man with a traditional Second Line umbrella waits to greet Mr Macron. AFP

Ms Macron is welcomed on her arrival by a member of a Mardi Gras Indian tribe. AFP

Mr Macron and his wife are serenaded on the tarmac by the Crescent City All Stars. AFP

Mr Macron and the French first lady cut a rug on the tarmac in New Orleans. AFP

Mr Macron headed to the southern city of New Orleans, which retains much of its French-infused heritage, as he wraps up a three-day state visit to the US. AFP

Mr Macron claps during a street band's performance on Royal St in the French Quarter of New Orleans alongside Mayor Latoya Cantrell. AP

The French Quarter of New Orleans is rich with a combination of French and Creole history. AP

Mr Macron was mobbed by well-wishers on the streets of New Orleans. AFP

Ms Cantrell takes Mr Macron on a walking tour through the historic French Quarter. AFP

A sea of people followed Mr Macron as he made his way through the French Quarter. AP

Ms Macron joined her husband for a portion of the walk. AFP

A French military aide stands by as Mr and Ms Macron walk through the French Quarter. AP

New Orleans is the last stop on Mr Macron's visit to the US. AFP

New Orleans is known as the birthplace of jazz. AP

Mr Macron and his wife make their way to historic Jackson Square in New Orleans. AP

The French President and his wife were met by a sea of well-wishers. AP

President Emmanuel Macron arrived on Friday in New Orleans, a city emblematic of historic Franco-American ties, to promote the French language and conclude his three-day state visit to the US.

The day after a lavish reception at the White House that sealed the “friendship” of the French President with his US counterpart, Joe Biden, he landed in the Louisiana city for a brief stop.

After being welcomed by a traditional Mardi Gras Indian and a member of the Crescent City All Stars Second Line band on the tarmac at Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport in Kenner, Mr Macron and his wife, Brigitte, walked through the streets of the city's lively French Quarter.

Removing his jacket, Mr Macron strolled beside New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell, clasping the hands of well-wishers and beaming widely.

He spoke briefly with women holding signs in support of protests in Iran.

During an impromptu press briefing, he praised “a land of creolisation” where “French is loved”, and prepared later to announce a programme to broaden access to French language training.

He had said in Washington that he wanted to renovate the image of French in the US, where it is “sometimes seen as elitist”.

Before taking off from Washington on Friday morning, Mr Macron attended a breakfast with representatives of digital companies during which he, according to the Elysee, recalled “all the efforts” made since his first term to “make France the leading European country in tech”.

Once a French colonial city, New Orleans was sold to the US by Napoleon Bonaparte as part of the Louisiana Purchase of 1803, and Mr Macron has called it “the quintessential francophone land”.

Besides celebrating French-American ties, Mr Macron will pay tribute to the victims of Hurricane Katrina, which killed more than 1,800 people in and around New Orleans and caused billions of dollars in damage in 2005.

Accompanied by French film director Claude Lelouch and dancer and choreographer Benjamin Millepied, Mr Macron is scheduled to meet local artists and prominent cultural figures of New Orleans, known as the birthplace of jazz.

Shortly after his arrival, Mr Macron and European Affairs Minister Catherine Colonna met Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards. As Mr Macron looked on, Ms Colonna and Mr Edwards signed an accord to promote and carry out joint clean energy initiatives.

The visit came on the heels of a lavish dinner at the White House, headlined by master jazzman Jon Batiste, who comes from a family of New Orleans musicians.

Mr Macron's state visit — the first such formal occasion since Mr Biden took office in January 2021 — symbolised how Washington and Paris have buried last year's bitter spat over the way Australia pulled out of a French submarine deal in favour of acquiring US nuclear subs instead.

The visit featured a full military honour guard for Mr Macron, including servicemembers from the marines, army, air force and even a detachment of soldiers in 18th-century Revolutionary War garb.