President Trump and first lady Melania Trump welcomed French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife, Brigitte, to the White House this week for his administration’s first state visit.
Here’s what they did:
French President Emmanuel Macron has had a busy, multi-day visit with President Trump. But he’s not the only European leader who will be at the White House this week.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel will visit the White House on Friday.
Her visit will be very different from Macron’s.
Merkel’s White House trip will have will have none of of the elaborate trimmings associated with a state visit. Macron’s state visit this week included a formal arrival ceremony with 500 members of the military and a state dinner with entertainment from the Washington National Opera from the Kennedy Center.
Once the favored European leader for US presidents, including Obama and President George W. Bush, Merkel got off to a frosty start with Trump and struggled to recover. The two leaders went more than five months without speaking earlier this year.
In anticipation of his visit to Washington, Macron held talks with Merkel.
French President Emmanuel Macron, speaking in front of Congress, said that one day, the US will come back to the Paris agreement, which Trump pulled out of last year.
So what’s in the deal?
The Paris agreement came together in 2015. Representatives from close to 200 countries gathered in the French capital and pledged to take decisive action on climate change.
Under the accord, countries that signed on agreed reduce their carbon output and halt global warming below two degrees Celsius by the end of the century.
The deal was?heralded?as “the end of the era of fossil fuels” and “a victory for all of the planet” over the days that followed.
Why Trump backed out
When he announced the US would leave the agreement, Trump cast it as a humiliating defeat for American workers that unfairly advantaged foreign countries.
“At what point does America get demeaned? At what point do they start laughing at us as a country?” Trump asked in June.
Trump, who has governed with an “American First” policy, said that in backing out of the agreement, he was carrying out the will of the people who voted for him.
“I was elected by the citizens of Pittsburgh,” Trump said, “not Paris.”
Currently, the United States and Syria are the only countries in the world not in the agreement. (Although Syria said last year that it would join onto the accord.)
French President Emmanuel Macron gave a speech before Congress this morning in which he broke with Trump on a number of key issues, including the environment and the Iran deal (more on that in the post just below this one).
Before Macron started speaking, Trump said he was looking forward to watching the address:
President Trump has not tweeted since the conclusion of Macron’s speech.
President Trump and French President Emmanuel Macron had a friendly state visit this week, exchanging compliments and even shows of affection in front of reporters.
But Macron’s address before Congress made clear that there are certain things he and Trump don’t see eye-to-eye on:
French President Emmanuel Macron said “we must fight against fake news” — but not the kind President Trump talks about.
“We must fight against the ever-growing virus of fake news,” he said.
Tackling “fake news” — hoaxes, rumors and other false claims spread on social media — has been a top issue for Macron this year. In January, he announced France will enact legislation in 2018 to combat the spread of “fake news.” The legislation will be used especially during election periods, Macron said.
This is not how President Trump uses the term “fake news.”?
After the 2016 election, President Trump almost single-handedly turned the definition of “fake news” on its head. Among his supporters, “fake news” is now a catch-all criticism for any news that Trump doesn’t like.
In January, a CNN analysis found that more than once a day, on average, Trump has publicly assailed “fake news,” “fake polls,” “fake media,” and “fake stories.”
French President Emmanuel Macron has made one thing clear this week: He and President Trump do not see eye to eye when it comes to the current Iran deal.
Trump railed against the Iran nuclear deal Tuesday, calling the agreement negotiated by the Obama administration “insane” and “ridiculous” for failing to contain Tehran.
However, France is staying in the deal – “because we signed it,” Macron said.
“We should not abandon it if we don’t have something more substantial instead. That is my position,” Macron told Congress moments ago.
“Your President and your country … will have to take its own responsibilities regarding this issue,” he added.
Both leaders have said they are willing to negotiate on the Iran deal, something Macron made clear in his speech.
French President Emmanuel Macron, speaking in front of Congress, stressed the importance of protecting the environment, insisting that one day, the US will come back to the Paris agreement.
“I believe in building a planet for our children that is still inhabitable in 25 years,” he said. “Some people think that securing industries and current jobs is more important than climate change … I hear this concern, but we must find a smooth transition.”
“Let us face it. There is no planet B,” he added.
He later added that he was “sure” that the US would one day rejoin the Paris climate agreement.
This is a major break from President Trump, who pulled the United States out of the historic Paris climate agreement.
Currently, the United States and Syria are the only countries in the world not in the agreement.
French President Emmanuel Macron is addressing a joint session of Congress right now. He began his speech by talking about France’s shared history with the US.
He stressed the importance of the relationship between the United States and France, a relationship forged over the last 100 years.
“We have shared the history of civil rights,” Macron said. “Thousands of examples come to mind. One would think of the exchanges between our cultures across the centuries.”
Emmanuel Macron just got to the House floor, where he will address Congress in just moments.
He shook lawmakers’ hands as he entered. Behind him were Rep. Kevin McCarthy and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi.
President Trump spent most of yesterday with Emmanuel Macron, attending meetings, a press conference and a state dinner with the French President.
The two leaders don’t have any scheduled face-time today, but President Trump said he’s looking forward to Macron’s address to Congress this morning:
Macron — who has been dubbed by some observers as a “Trump whisperer” — has been able to develop one of the closest relationships Trump maintains with a world leader.
French President Emmanuel Macron is set to address Congress on Wednesday, following his meetings with President Donald Trump at the White House.
The address coincides with the 58th anniversary of then-French President Charles de Gaulle’s address to a joint session of Congress.
Macron’s speech to Congress comes after he spent two days with Trump tackling a slew of pressing policy issues including…
President Trump and first lady Melania Trump hosted French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife, Brigitte, tonight at the White House for his administration’s first official state dinner.
Earlier today, the Trump welcomed the Macrons in a?traditional state arrival ceremony?on the South Lawn of the White House.
The two leaders later held a joint news conference, where they took questions from reporters. Trump criticized the Iran deal during the news conference, as Macron, who is trying to salvage the deal, looked on.
Macron will spend less time with Trump tomorrow.
President Trump, while giving a toast tonight, thanked first lady Melania Trump for organizing and arranging his administration’s first state dinner.
Trump, speaking to his guests, welcomed French President Emmanuel Macron, his wife, Brigitte, and the French delegation to the official state dinner.
“May our friendship grow even?deeper, may our kinship grow?even stronger, and may our?sacred liberty never die,” Trump said, as he toasted Macron.
Watch his speech:
Politicians and special guests of honor made their way to the White House this evening for the Trump administration’s first state dinner, with France.
Familiar faces from Trump’s Cabinet were also in attendance. White House press secretary Sarah Sanders,?Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, Defense Secretary James Mattis and Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen donned gowns and tuxedos.
But these cabinet secretaries were absent from tonight’s festivities:
The White House did not comment on whether they had been invited to the intimate event.
First lady Melania Trump is wearing a Chanel Haute Couture gown, hand-painted with silver and embroidered with crystals and sequins, to tonight’s state dinner.
The first lady paid “homage to the country that they are hosting,” CNN’s Kate Bennett reported.
Dresses for state level events are allowed to be gifted by the designer to be worn at the occasion and then are the property of the National Archives.
Earlier today, the first lady’s attire made headlines when she wore a white, wide-brimmed hat and a white skirt suit to greet the Macrons.
Her white ensemble stood out on the gray Washington day as she and President Trump hosted a?traditional state arrival ceremony?on the South Lawn of the White House.
President Trump and first lady Melania Trump just greeted French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife, Brigitte, before heading into the White House for the Trump administration’s first state dinner.
The dinner will be in the White House State Dining Room, which can accommodate between 100 and 150 guests. The menu will feature American cuisine with nuances of French influence.?
This is the 14th time the White House has hosted France for a state dinner, per the White House Historical Association.
Guests are arriving at the White House tonight for President Trump’s first state dinner, which will start soon.
Here are some of the guests:
Treasury Secretary Steven?Mnuchin and his wife Louise Linton?
Vice President Mike Pence and his wife Karen
Media mogul?Rupert Murdoch?and model?Jerry Hall
Every last detail for tonight’s state dinner has been thoughtfully and carefully overseen by first lady Melania Trump, who, unlike some of her predecessors, did not hire an event planner or other outside consultants for the event.?
Relying solely on her own research and aesthetic instincts, Trump crafted a cream and gold color scheme, with details spanning the patterns on the chair cushions to the honey with dessert made by bees in the White House hive.
Each of her selections for the Macrons’ visit was chosen with meaning behind it, down to the flowers (white sweet peas and 1,200 branches of cherry blossoms), china and menu.
Apple’s CEO Tim Cook is at President Trump’s first state dinner tonight.
He was joined by Apple Vice President Lisa Jackson, who served the Obama administration as Environmental Protection Agency chief.
Trump often mentions about the tech giant in his speeches when he’s talking about taxes.
In January, Trump noted how Apple announced that it would pay $38 billion in taxes on cash it has been keeping overseas and pledged to create 20,000 jobs and invest $30 billion in US facilities over the next five years.
Trump told the audience that he called Cook to thank him.
President Trump and first lady Melania Trump are hosting their first state dinner tonight for French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife, Brigitte.
The formal dinner will take place in the State Dining room of the White House, which can hold between 100 and 150 seated guests.
So what’s on the menu?
It appears Democratic leaders in Congress were left off the guest list for President Donald Trump’s?first state dinner at the White House on Tuesday.
Still, at least one Democratic politician was invited: Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards and his wife are set to attend the dinner, his office confirmed.
On Monday, representatives for the top four Democratic leaders in Congress — Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, Senate Minority Whip Dick Durbin, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi and House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer — told CNN that their offices did not receive an invitation to the dinner with the French president.
As part of the state visit, the Trumps and the Macrons will exchange gifts.
The Trumps will present the Macrons with a framed section of upholstery from one of the chairs in the White House Blue Room. Featuring a golden eagle surrounded by laurels, the chair was part of the furniture suite inspired by Pierre-Antoine Bellangé, who designed royal palaces in France and created the 53 carved and gilded pieces for the Blue Room, which he was commissioned to create by President James Monroe.
The Macrons will also receive from the Trumps a special photo album upon their departure and a Tiffany & Co. silver bowl, engraved with the presidential seal and the signatures of both Trumps.
The Macrons brought a European Sessile oak sapling, which the first couples planted on the White House South Lawn yesterday:
Tonight marks the first state dinner of the Trump presidency. First lady Melania Trump pulled from her background in design and was deeply involved in planning for the dinner with French President Emmanuel Macron for months.?
Here’s a look at some of tonight’s details:
Watch more:
President Trump and French President Emmanuel Macron shared another awkward handshake this afternoon.
And Macron just tweeted a photo of it:
In case you missed it, here’s the mid-press conference shake:
President Trump said the United States is “embarrassingly” invested in the Middle East, but frugal on domestic projects.
Here’s part of his remarks:
President Trump said his VA nominee Dr. Ronny Jackson “is one of the finest people I have ever met” but acknowledged he lacks experience in running a government agency.
“There’s a lack of experience,” he said.
Trump said he hadn’t heard particular allegations against Jackson, but?defended him and said?he was being unfairly treated by the press and Democrats.
“I told Admiral Jackson just a little while ago, what do you need this for? This is a vicious group of people, they malign … what do you need it for?” he asked.
“He’s an admiral, he’s a great leader, and they question him for every little thing,” Trump said.
But he said he would leave it up to Jackson whether to continue pursuing confirmation.
“He is a high quality person. It’s totally his decision. So he’ll be making a decision,” he said.?“I don’t want to put a man through a process like this. It’s too ugly and too disgusting.”
Trump said if he was Jackson making the decision, he would step aside. “The fact is, I wouldn’t do it,” Trump said.
President Trump and France’s Emmanuel Macron disagree on the Iran deal, and it was a major point of discussion during their two-on-two press conference at the White House.
Trump has repeatedly said the Iran deal is bad, and the United States should have never signed on to it.
“This is a deal with decayed foundations. It’s a bad deal. It’s a bad structure. It’s falling down. It should have never, ever been made. I blame Congress. I blame a lot of people for it,” Trump said.
“I will say, if Iran threatens us in any way, they will pay a price like few countries have ever paid,” he added.
A reporter asked Trump what he means when he says he wants to see “complete denuclearization” in North Korea.
Here’s President Trump’s answer:
President Trump insisted Tuesday he’d made no concessions to North Korea ahead of talks with Kim Jong Un.
“We have made no concessions, other than the fact that meeting is a great thing,” Trump said at a news conference.
He didn’t expand further when asked to explain his comment that Kim is an “honorable” person, and instead sidestepped the question.
President Trump, less than two weeks after launching air strikes on Syria, said he “would love to get out,” but wants to do so only once “having accomplished what we have to accomplish.”
“We’ll see what happens. But we’re going to be coming?home relatively soon. We finished at least almost our work with respect to ISIS in Syria, ISIS in Iraq,” Trump said. “And we have done a job that nobody has been able to do. But with that being said, I do want to come home, but I want to come home also with having accomplished what we have to accomplish.”
In a light moment during the press conference, President Trump and French President Emmanuel Macron just had (another) weird handshake.
After his opening remarks at the press conference, Macron grabbed Trump’s outstretched hand.
Here’s how the rest of the embrace went down:
President Trump and Macron have had at least two awkward handshakes in the past.
In May, the two leaders shared a prolonged white-knuckle handshake when they met in Brussels. Macron later said there was a deeper meaning behind the shake:
Then, in July, they had a marathon 29-second handshake when Trump visited France:
French President Emmanuel Macron said it’s obvious he and Trump have differing opinions on the Iran deal, but said he hopes they can work toward a new deal.
Trump has frequently criticized the Iran deal. Earlier today, he called it “insane” and “ridiculous.”
Macron, speaking through a translator, said it was “not a sufficient deal”:
President Trump offered French President Emmanuel Macron his condolences over an attack by an ISIS supporter on a supermarket in southern France last month.
Trump spoke of Lt. Col. Arnaud Beltrame, the French?police officer who was killed after swapping places with a female hostage in that incident, saying, “in time we will achieve the ultimate triumph of right and of justice.”
“In the fight against terrorism, we both know that we must be strong from within to defend ourselves from threats outside. We will do what we must to protect our countries,” Trump said.
“You are our oldest ally,” Trump said. “And you are truly one of our great allies, and we appreciate it. We will always be there for you.”
President Trump said France is a key partner in the US’s “campaign of?maximum pressure on the?North?Korean regime,” and called out “mistakes of?past administrations.”
Trump added: “However, in pursuit of peace, we?will not repeat the mistakes of?past administrations.?The campaign of maximum pressure?will continue.”
You can watch it in the video player above.
President Trump said he may be nearing an agreement on the Iran deal with France as he continues to rail against the accord.?
“We could have at least an agreement among ourselves fairly quickly,” he said during talks with French President Emmanuel Macron. “I think we’re fairly close to understanding each other. And I think our meeting,?our one-on-one went very, very well.”?
Earlier, Trump derided the plan, calling it “insane.”
He said he and Macron?were “looking forward to doing something, but it has to be done and it has to be done strongly.”
President Trump said he’s looking forward to meeting Kim Jong Un “very soon” and indicated the North Koreans are pressing for talks to begin immediately.
“We are going to be having a meeting with Kim Jong Un?and that will be very soon. We have been told directly that they would like to have the meeting as soon as possible,” Trump said.
Trump repeated his vow to talk out of the meeting should it fall short of his expectations.
“Maybe it will be wonderful. And maybe it won’t,” Trump said. “And if it’s not going to be fair and reasonable and good, unlike past administrations, I will leave the table.”
While meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron, President Trump said he’d rather work on trade with just France — not the entire European Union. ?
President Trump and French President Emmanuel Macron will hold a press conference at 11:45 a.m. ET.
Here are some questions reporters could ask President Trump:
While bragging about his relationship with Emanuel Macron, President Trump brushed dandruff off his French counterpart’s shoulder.
“We do have a very special relationship. In fact, I’ll get that little piece of dandruff off,” Trump said as he wiped Macron’s blazer.
Watch the moment:
Ahead of talks with his French counterpart, President Trump derided the Iran deal as “insane and ridiculous.”?
He was speaking alongside President Emmanuel Macron, who hopes to convince Trump to remain in the deal. But Trump offered few assurances he would be deterred from withdrawing.
“It’s insane, it’s ridiculous, it should haven ever been made. But we’ll be talking about it,” Trump said.
Macron insisted the Iran deal is “important” and stressed viewing it as part of a regional strategy.
“We have to take it as a part of the?broader picture with?security in the region,” he said.
But Trump insisted Iran was embolded.
“Wherever you go, Iran is behind it,” he said, adding “Russia is getting more and more involved.”
“What kind of a deal is this where it wasn’t even discussed?”
A reporter tried to ask President Trump about potentially pardoning his personal lawyer Michael Cohen, who is under investigation in New York. This was a question the President did not want to address.
“What about – Mr. President, what about Michael Cohen? Are you considering a pardon for Michael Cohen?” the reporter asked.
Trump replied, “Thank you very much.” He then added, “Stupid question.”
President Trump said the love between him and France’s President Emmanuel Macron is for real.
“Mr. President, they’re all saying what a great relationship we have and they’re actually correct. It is not fake news. Finally. It is not fake news. So it is a great honor. Great honor that you’re here,” Trump said.
“We do have a very special relationship. I’ll get that piece of – we have to make him perfect. He is perfect. So it is really – it is really great to be with you and you’re a special friend.”
While President Trump and French President Emmanuel Macron meet at the White House, first lady Melania Trump and French first lady Brigitte Macron are spending their morning at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC.
First lady Melania Trump is wearing a white, wide-brimmed hat designed by Hervé Pierre, her personal stylist, according to a White House official.
Her double crepe-sablé draped blazer is by Michael Kors and retails for $2,195.
White is a favorite color of the first lady; she memorably wore a white Dior pantsuit to this year’s State of the Union address. The color is also a symbol of women’s suffrage.
CORRECTION: This story has been updated to properly identify?Hervé Pierre as the?designer of Melania Trump’s white hat.
French President Emmanuel Macron said France and the US must work together to protect the environment, an area of disagreement. Macron has previously voiced strong criticism of Trump’s decision to withdraw from the Paris climate accord.?Last summer, Trump announced the US would withdraw from the agreement.
Macron said he and Trump “do not always agree on solutions,” likening it to a family dispute.?
But he said action must be taken since the “fate of our children is at stake.”
In his remarks, Macron also issued a warning against “aggressive nationalism.” Speaking through a translator on the South Lawn, Macron said the US and France must defend “pluralism and democracy in the face of ill winds.”?
French President Emmanuel Macron echoed President Trump at the top of his remarks on the South Lawn, sending condolences to the Canadians and the Bush family.
Macron expresses sympathies for the people of Canada after the van attack in Toronto that occurred yesterday.
He also wished to “to express our deepest sympathy to President Bush and his family.”
Macron stated that in this time, “We stand together.”
Former President H.W. Bush is currently in intensive care.
President Trump hailed France’s role in responding to a chemical attack in Syria during remarks on Tuesday.?
“Along with our British friends, the United States and France recently took decisive action in response to the Syrian regime’s use of chemical weapons. I want to personally thank President Macron, the French military and the French people for their steadfast partnership,” Trump said. “They were absolutely incredible. Thank you very much, Mr. President.”
Earlier this month, France joined the United States in launching airstrikes against Syria in retaliation for a chemical weapons attack on civilians in the Damascus enclave of Douma.
Macron said he “convinced” President Trump to stay in Syria ahead of the strikes.
Watch more:
First lady Melania Trump dressed in a pristine white suit and hat to greet the French president for President Trump’s first state visit.
France’s first lady, Brigitte Macron, stepped out in white as well.
This isn’t Melania Trump’s first striking white outfit. At this year’s State of the Union, she wore a cream pantsuit by French design house Christian Dior, and a white silk blouse from Italian label Dolce & Gabbana.
The first lady looked coincidentally very similar to the female Democratic congressional members who last year at Trump’s address to the Joint Session of Congress protested Trump’s policies by wearing white, the color of suffragettes.
The Trumps are hosting a formal traditional?military?arrival ceremony, which includes 500 members of the United States Armed Forces.
They’re gathered at the White House for a traditional “review?of the troops.”
The Trumps and Macron listened to both nation’s anthems play before President Trump and President Macron conducted the troop review.
President Trump and first lady Melania, dressed in white with a matching hat, greeted France’s President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte.
This is Trump’s first state visit. Along with the President and first lady, Trump’s cabinet members, Vice President Pence and Chief of Staff John Kelly were also present for the arrival, making for a grand scene in front of the White House.
French President Emmanuel Macron will arrive at the White House at 9 a.m. for a arrival ceremony. This state visit marks the first of Trump’s presidency.
Cabinet Secretaries, Members of Congress, military families, and students from the Maya Angelou French Immersion School in Temple Hills, Maryland, according to the White House have all been invited. About 500 members of the US military will also be there.
Learn more about the ceremony:
First lady Melania Trump tweeted a video montage showing the prep work that went into planning tonight’s state dinner:
So confident was Trump about her ability to handle something like a state dinner, with its myriad details, that the first lady would not hire an event planner to help, as previous first ladies have done in the past to manage the grandeur and spectacle.
The first lady started thinking about what gifts to give the Macrons months ago.
CNN has learned one of those gifts will be a framed section of upholstery from one of the chairs in the White House Blue Room. Featuring a golden eagle surrounded by laurels, the chair was part of the furniture suite inspired by Pierre-Antoine Bellangé, who designed royal palaces in France and created the 53 carved and gilded pieces for the Blue Room, which he was commissioned to create by President James Monroe.
The Macrons will also receive from the Trumps a special photo album upon their departure, with pictures of their visit, as well as a Tiffany & Co. silver bowl, engraved with the presidential seal and the signatures of both Trumps.
French President Emmanuel Macron touched down in Washington yesterday. After arriving to Blair House, the presidential guest quarters, he and his wife, Brigitte, strolled to the Lincoln Memorial, surrounded by security agents and journalists.
Later, the couple had a private dinner?with the Trumps at Mount Vernon. On the menu: lemon-ricotta agnolotti with citrus butter, ballotine of Dover sole, and chocolate soufflé.
But today, the two leaders get to business.
There will be a a military welcome on the South Lawn around 9 a.m. ET. Afterward, Trump and Macron will meet and hold a joint press conference. In the wake of the US-French strikes in Syria, questions remain about Trump’s willingness to maintain a military presence in Syria as Macron has urged his US counterpart to do. Trump’s harsh new new trade approach has led to fears of a trade war. And a fast-approaching deadline on the Iran deal also looms large.
Tweeting on Monday afternoon, Macron previewed his message to Trump.
“The United States and France share a long history, we have led revolutions together to defend freedom and democracy,” he wrote. “It is our turn to live up to the example set by our history.”
French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife, Brigitte, arrived in the US today, marking the first state visit of Trump’s presidency.
The couple joined President Trump and first lady Melania Trump at the White House, where they planted a European sessile oak tree on the South Lawn. They later boarded a helicopter to Mount Vernon, the riverfront estate of George Washington, for a private dinner.
The two leaders and their wives have a jam-packed schedule tomorrow. Here’s what we know:
President Trump, French President Emmanuel Macron and their wives have departed Mount Vernon after dining at the riverfront estate.
The couple dined on lemon-ricotta agnolotti with citrus butter, ballotine of Dover sole, chocolate soufflé and cherry vanilla ice cream, according to a pool report.
After returning to the White House, Macron and his wife, Brigitte, will head to the Blair House, the presidential guest quarters, for the night.
Macron will return to the White House tomorrow morning for a long day of talks.
At 11:45 a.m. ET, Trump and Macron will hold a joint news conference, where they’ll take questions from reporters.
At first glance, the relationship between Trump, a 71-year-old isolationist who enjoys cable news and long days on the golf course, and the 40-year-old Macron, a pro-European integrationist who likes to quote philosophers and extol the virtues of the arts, seems unlikely.
But the two men share a number of similarities.
Both based their presidential campaigns on being outsiders and enemies of the political elite. They took advantage of the public’s dissatisfaction and disillusionment with mainstream political parties en route to winning their respective elections.
Trump, a real estate mogul, and Macron, a former investment banker, are both drawn to sealing good deals.
The pair also share views on policy, notably on eliminating ISIS and battling against global terrorism.
The two have also exchanged a number of compliments:
French President Emmanuel Macron’s trip to the White House is the first state visit of Trump’s presidency.
The White House has hosted numerous world leaders in the first year of the Trump administration — but none were official state visits with all the trappings, pomp, circumstance and accompanying glittering state dinner.
Trump is the first president in decades to not host a state visit during his first year in office. The White House has said there’s no particular reason for the delay.
French President Emmanuel Macron tweeted a video of President Trump today, showing off his Oval Office desk and phones.
After Trump described the Resolute Desk, France’s first lady Brigitte Macron pointed to a pair of phones and asked about them. Trump said that’s where he speaks to her husband.?
Watch the moment:
President Trump, French President Emmanuel Macron and their wives just arrived at Mount Vernon, the riverfront estate of George Washington.
They will dine there tonight.
The White House will host an official state dinner for France tomorrow night.
President Trump, French President Emmanuel Macron and their wives just planted a tree on the South Lawn of the White House this evening.
The two leaders each took a shovel and pushed dirt onto the base of the tree.
The European sessile oak, which comes from the site of the Battle of Belleau Wood, is a gift from Macron. It is about 4 feet and 5 inches tall and 5 to 10 years old.
After the tree planting ceremony, President Trump, the first lady and the Macrons walked to Marine One for their short trip to Mount Vernon.
The two leaders and their wives will dine at Mount Vernon, the riverfront estate of George Washington.
President Trump and First lady Melania Trump welcomed French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife, Brigitte, to the White House this evening.
The President and first lady greeted Macron and his wife at the entrance to the West Wing ahead of brief talks in the Oval Office. President Trump and Macron hugged quickly, and Macron kissed the President on the cheek.
After arriving at the White House, the two leaders and their wives will plant a tree on the South Lawn of the White House.
The European sessile oak, which is about 4 feet and 5 inches tall and 5 to 10 years old, is a gift from Macron. It hails from Belleau Woods, a historic landmark of the US’ involvement in World War I, the White House said in a statement.
“Over 9,000 American marines died in the Belleau Wood battle in June 1918 and the forest is a memorial site and important symbol of the sacrifice the United States made to ensure peace and stability in Europe,” the White House said.
French President Emmanuel Macron said his state visit to the US is “very important for our people.”
He added that he and Trump will discuss trade, security and other issues during the visit.
French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife, Brigitte, just landed in the US.
They’ll head to the White House this evening, where they’ll meet the Trumps. The two couples will then head to Mount Vernon in Virginia for dinner.
Macron said this was a very important moment to be holding the state visit.
France, earlier this month, joined the US in launching strikes against Syria.
French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife, Brigitte Macron, are expected to arrive at the White House at 5:15 p.m. ET.
They’ll meet President Trump and Melania Trump and help the first couple plant a tree on the White House lawn.
The two couples will then head to Mount Vernon in Virginia for dinner.