Politics? Power plays at the school gate are more ruthless

The French president Emmanuel Macron was left to fend for himself on the streets of New York City this week, after his car was stopped so that Donald Trump's motorcade could pass.

- By CHARLOTTE CRIPPS

In embarrassing video footage which has since gone viral, a bemused-looking Macron stands on the pavement, having earlier given his speech to the United Nations on recognising Palestine as a state, explaining to police officers: “There are 10 of us. I go to the French embassy.”

Realising the police won't help him, Macron then makes an SOS call to Trump from his mobile phone. Say what you like about the man, but he is always ready to pick up the phone.

“How are you? Guess what? I’m waiting in the street because everything is frozen for you,” Macron says, trying to laugh it off, but the humiliation is palpable.

Macron, still on his phone, then ends up walking through the Big Apple for about 30 minutes with his bodyguards, even stopping for a selfie with a passerby.

Some on social media have accused the US president of practising a good old political power play. “That’s not just a mix- up – that’s a power signal. When world leaders get parked so Trump can pass, it tells you everything about who commands respect in the room,” one X (Twitter) user wrote.