US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff compared the French Élysée Palace to Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort in a meeting with European officials in Paris on Friday, inspiring many social media users to cringe with secondhand embarrassment.
"Wissen Sie, wie es hier aussieht? Wie in Präsident Trumps Club in Mar-A-Lago."
— Andreas Kynast (@andikynast) April 17, 2025
Im Élysée-Palast beginnt der US-Sondergesandte Steve Witkoff seine Ukraine-Gespräche mit den Nationalen Sicherheitsberatern Bonne (Frankreich), Powell (UK) und Plötner (Deutschland). pic.twitter.com/8innvKR16z
Home to French President Emmanuel Macron and built in 1718, the Élysée Palace first housed the French Republic in 1848, when Louis-Napoleon Bonaparte moved in. The walls of the Ambassadors Room—where the French government hosts foreign diplomats like Witkoff—are shrouded in ornate gold leafing, with a gold and crystal chandelier from the late 1700's hanging from the ceiling.
"You know what this looks like?" Witkoff asked the men seated beside and across him beneath the chandelier. "This actually looks like President Trump's club at Mar-a-Lago."
"Really?" asked German national security advisor Jens Ploetner as he raised his eyebrows amidst polite chuckles.
"It's fabulous what it looks like. He actually works on it himself," Witkoff continued, referring to Trump. "He's like an architect or a designer."
Trump's Midas-touch in decorating is well-documented, with his resort at Mar-a-Lago a prime example. Originally built in 1927, Trump converted the Florida mansion to an exclusive members-only resort in the nineties. In the Trump ballroom, added by its namesake in 2005, similar gold leafing adorns white walls and ceilings dripping with chandeliers.
On social media, users mocked Witkoff for the presumptive comparison.
It's like comparing McDonalds with Michelin restaurants...
— Iryna Kreichmann 🇺🇦 👩💻 (@iryna_eth) April 18, 2025
Many illustrated the clumsiness of Witkoff's comparison with their own analogies.
"This is a man who given the choice would choose the Venetian in Las Vegas over Venice," a user wrote. "Like comparing the Disney Castle with actual castles," said another, with someone else positing that, "Americans don't know the difference between a Disney set-piece and something real."
Wonder if Witkoff compared St Petersburg to Las Vegas when he met putin last week.
— Akash Maniam (@ManiamAkash) April 18, 2025
Embarrassment was a major theme among commenters.
"That room is older than his whole country... That's soooo embarassing, AND rude," one commenter noted. "There is no level of embarrassment this person would not stoop to," accused one user. "Has there ever been a more embarrassing time to be an American?" another mortified user wrote.
People also called the comment "tasteless" and "disrespectful," with one questioning, "Is failing an IQ test now a requirement to join this administration?"
The guy has no class and no idea.
— tumtumtum 🇺🇦 (@tumtumtum) April 18, 2025
Witkoff and other White House representatives visited the palace to meet with Macron and other EU leaders to discuss ongoing negotiations to end Russia's war on Ukraine.
While Witkoff's indelicate commentary on interior design were met with decorum, many hope the Trump administration will approach negotiations with more tact.
Originally published on Latin Times
