Donald Trump has wasted no time taking a poke at his French host as he arrived in Paris for events marking the 100th anniversary of the armistice that ended the First World War, tweeting as he landed that President Emmanuel Macron had made an “insulting” proposal to build up Europe's military to counter the US, China and Russia.
It was a clear sign that the “America First” president was ready to chart his own course yet again as world leaders gathered to remember the coalition that brought an end to the first global war. Trump's visit comes on the heels of midterm elections in which Americans delivered a split referendum on his presidency, keeping the Senate in his party's control but ceding the House to opposition Democrats.
He planned to meet with Macron on Saturday for talks on topics expected to include European security, Syria and Iran. As he arrived, Mr Trump tweeted that Mr Macron “has just suggested that Europe build its own military in order to protect itself from the U.S., China and Russia. Very insulting, but perhaps Europe should first pay its fair share of NATO, which the U.S. subsidizes greatly!”
Mr Trump's brief visit to Europe comes amid uncertainty about the US relationship with the continent. Mr Trump has railed against trade deals with the European Union and has criticised some EU nations, including France, for not spending enough to defense to sustain Nato, the decades-old Western alliance formed as a bulwark to Moscow's aggression.
Mr Trump's national security adviser, John Bolton, said in Paris that the US was concerned about stability in Europe and that Mr Trump was not shirking from global engagement. “I think the enduring lesson (of World War I) for the United States is that when you become a global power ... you have global interests to protect,” Mr Bolton said. “Great world leaders,” he said, are “driven by national interests.”
For Sunday's armistice anniversary, Mr Trump was to join world leaders at a ceremony in the shadow of the Arc de Triomphe.
“It should be a very beautiful period of time, the 100th anniversary of the ending of World War I. We have many countries — the leadership from many countries will be there, especially since they heard the United States will be there. And we look forward to that,” Mr Trump said
Mr Trump originally wanted to celebrate Veterans Day on Sunday with a grand military parade in Washington, as he was inspired by the tanks and flyovers he saw during France's Bastille Day celebration when he visited Paris in July of last year. Mr Trump ordered the Pentagon to come up with plans for his own version, but they were eventually scrapped over concerns about costs and the damage tanks weighing many tons would do to the streets in Washington.
To follow how the day unfolded see our live coverage below
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French president makes new appeal for force in run-up to First World War Armistice centenaryHe told reporters at the White House that he was considering Heather Nauert, spokeswoman for the US State Department, and other people for the post to succeed Nikki Haley, who said last month she would resign at the end of the year.
Trump denies doctored Acosta video shared by White House was doctored
Donald Trump has denied a video of his altercation with CNN reporter Jim Acosta that was shared by White House was "doctored", despite clear evidence it had been manipulated. Footage tweeted by press secretary Sarah Sanders on Thursday appeared to show Mr Acosta karate-chopping a female intern during the president's post-midterms press conference, along with the claim the journalist had "placed his hands"The Trump administration unveiled new rules on Thursday to sharply limit migrant asylum claims by barring individuals who cross the US southern border illegally from seeking asylum. People have to come into the US at points of entry, Mr Trump said before leaving for Paris.
The plan, which invokes the same authority President Trump used to justify his travel ban on citizens of several Muslim-majority nations, is likely to be quickly challenged in court.
The Trump administration lost a court bid on Thursday, when a federal appeals court in California ruled that it must continue a program begun under former president Barack Obama that protects hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants who were brought into the country as children, known as Dreamers.
Mr Trump said the ruling on the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program was good news because now the administration can appeal the case to the U.S. Supreme Court.
Trump hits out at 'phoney hoax' Russia investigation for Mueller not being confirmed by US Senate
President says special counsel should have been confirmed by the Senate - despite no such requirement existingSpeaking to reporters at the White House, Mr Trump also said he had not ruled out sitting down for an interview with the special counsel, Robert Mueller, who is probing alleged Russian interference in the 2016 election and any possible collusion with Mr Trump's campaign.
"I didn't speak to Matt Whitaker about it," Mr Trump said of the Russia probe.
Mr Whitaker took over the top job at the Justice Department on Wednesday after Mr Trump asked for the resignation of Jeff Sessions.
Mr Whitaker has publicly criticised the probe as being too broad, and Democrats have called on him to recuse himself, saying his appointment this week appeared to be an effort by the president to impede the investigation.
Mr Trump said it was up to Mr Whitaker whether he would be involved in the investigation.
Russia has denied interfering in the election, and Mr Trump has repeatedly said there was no collusion between his campaign and Moscow.
President Trump departed Washington on Friday morning for the weekend jaunt to Europe, which comes just days after elections that delivered a split referendum on his presidency.
He said of the trip: "I think it's going to be something very special."
Mr Trump will be joining fellow world leaders at a Sunday ceremony commemorating the 100th anniversary of the agreement that ended World War I. He will also be meeting with France's president, Emmanuel Macron. He's also planning to visit several memorial sites dedicated to American service members in honor of Veterans Day.
But he'll be skipping the inaugural Paris Peace Forum that's set to kick off on Sunday.
“We’re heading off to Europe. It should be a very beautiful period of time, the 100th anniversary of the ending of World War I. We have many countries — the leadership from many countries will be there, especially since they heard the United States will be there. And we look forward to that. It'll be a great, really commemorative service. I think it's going to be something very special. I've seen what they have planned, and I think it's going to be something very, very special.”
“I’ll meet with Putin at G20. I don’t know that we’ll each other in Paris, but there may be a lunch for the leaders…I would think. I think we have a good relationship. Having a good relationship with Russia and China and every other country is a good thing, not a bad thing.”
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Associated Press
