Updated
President Donald Trump has been criticised for
cancelling a planned visit to a cemetery for Americans killed in World
War I in France because it was raining.
Key points:
- Trump was in France to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the end of World War I
- Bad weather grounded the helicopter, according to the White House
- Critics said it was "extremely disrespectful" not to visit the Aisne-Marne American Cemetery
The White House said the President's helicopter was grounded because of bad weather.
Mr Trump had been scheduled to lay a wreath and observe a moment of silence at the Aisne-Marne American Cemetery and Memorial, located adjacent to Belleau Wood and about 100 kilometres north-east of Paris.
Instead, Mr Trump spent much of the day following a meeting and lunch with French President Emmanuel Macron at the US ambassador's residence, where he was staying during events to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the end of World War I.
Attending in Mr Trump's place were the White House chief of staff, retired Marine General John Kelly; the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Marine General Joe Dunford; and several members of the White House staff.
The Battle of Belleau Wood was a critical conflict in the war and a pivotal encounter in Marine Corps history.
The Secret Service determines when it's safe to fly Marine One, the President's helicopter.
Paris was covered in clouds with drizzling rain through most of Saturday.
Mr Trump was scheduled to join dozens of world leaders at a ceremony in the shadow of the Arc de Triomphe marking Armistice Day.
He was to deliver remarks at the Suresnes American Cemetery and Memorial, located about 10km west of Paris, before returning to Washington.
The cancellation of Saturday's visit drew criticism from those who said the President should have found a way to travel to Aisne-Marne, regardless of the weather.
Ben Rhodes, who was deputy national security adviser for president Barack Obama, accused Mr Trump of "blowing off honouring American servicemen who died for us" and said the White House should have had a fallback option.
British Member of Parliament Nicholas Soames, who is also the grandson of wartime British prime minister Winston Churchill, tweeted his displeasure at Mr Trump's cancellation.
Friction as soon as Air Force One landed
Mr Trump caused friction with the allies on this European visit even before cancelling the trip to Aisne-Marne, after he tweeted:The dust-up over European security, which threatened to divert attention from the weekend's sombre remembrance ceremonies, was just the latest example of fallout from Mr Trump's brand of Twitter-assisted diplomacy.
His fractious relationship with Europe has driven a wedge between the US and some of its oldest allies on issues including trade, defence spending and his seeming deference to their looming neighbour to the east, Russia's Vladimir Putin.
It also underscored the hot-and-cold relationship that Mr Trump has had with Mr Macron, who has increasingly branded himself as a bulwark against the rising tide of Trump-style nationalism across Europe.
Mr Trump's tweet was especially wounding to Mr Macron. The French President's office said Mr Trump had misunderstood Mr Macron's comments, lumping together two different ideas.
Mr Macron said in an interview that Europe needs to protect itself against cyber threats and the "interference in our democracies" from "China, Russia and even the United States".
Later, he made the case that Europe needs to build up its own military because it can no longer depend on the US for defence.
The two men struck a more friendly tone as they opened their meeting at the grand presidential residence.
"We want to help Europe but it has to be fair. Right now, the burden-sharing has been largely on the United States," Mr Trump said.Mr Trump has long complained about uncompensated US defence spending that benefits allies, and earlier this year threatened to turn his back on NATO if members did not boost their defence spending.
Mr Trump said Mr Macron "understands that and he understands the United States can only do so much".
Mr Macron defended his viewpoint, saying he shares Mr Trump's insistence that there be more burden sharing.
He said it is "unfair to have the European security today being assured just by the United States", but did not respond to a question about why he felt France needed protection from the US.
ABC/AP
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