‘More presidential than Trump’: When Macron meets Rihanna

Pop superstar Rihanna and French president Emmanuel Macron met at the Elysee Palace in Paris on Wednesday to talk about global education. Their handshake was met with a bit laughter, drawing comparison to the push-and-pull greeting that involved US President Donald Trump. First Lady Brigitte Macron was also there, with photos of their meeting circulating on social media.

An Instagram story showed Macron bending over laughing after shaking Rihanna's hand. The “Work” singer was laughing, too.

For Rihanna, she just had the most incredible meeting with Macron and his wife. She said in a news conference that the first couple was “incredibly welcoming.”

"We're going to make a very big announcement this coming September," Mashable quotes her as saying. She also revealed that they are set to do more work this October in Africa.

'More presidential than Trump'

Fans and supporters took to social media to react at Rihanna’s meeting with the French leader. One Twitter user said she is more presidential than Trump and thanked her for “making the world a better place” with her music and activism.

Rihanna herself tweeted about meeting the French president and the first lady. She thanked them for the “incredible meeting and passion for global and girls education.” After their meeting, Macron tweeted that he is "committed" to helping address the challenge of 264 million children out of school. He also mentioned the social action platform Global Citizen as well as the Clara Lionel Foundation.

Global education

Meanwhile, the Global Partnership for Education said its global ambassador Rihanna met with Macron to discuss the urgency to fund global education. The organisation is in the midst of "replenishment 2020” that aims to support the out-of-school population.

"We focused on the topic of education from global aspects, and we will make a very big announcement this coming September," Rihanna told journalists outside the Elysee palace, Reuters reports. She had previously requested that leaders of countries like Argentina and Canada as well as Germany's government spokesman Steffen Seibert to support education funding efforts. Rihanna made appeals on Twitter, where she had over 75 million followers.

The 29-year-old is an active campaigner for young people and disadvantaged children. She founded the Clara Lionel Foundation, which promotes rights to health and education across the world, and worked with several charities like Unicef and Red Cross.

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