I think it’s a relatively more recent thing where US conservative anti-France propoganda was very successful when they refused to support one of the US wars in the middle east. Can’t remember which but it’s where terms like “freedom fries” started popping up and then I think some people retconned France getting their shit pushed in early in WWII as somehow meaning they surrender easily even though in reality they were bearing the brunt of the Nazi invasion. But yeah without the French there would be no USA.