Trump accepts invitation for Bastille Day visit to France
President Donald Trump has accepted an invitation from French President Emmanuel Macron to visit the nation on Bastille Day next month, the White House said Wednesday.
“President Trump looks forward to reaffirming America’s strong ties of friendship with France, to celebrating this important day with the French people, and to commemorating the 100th anniversary of America’s entry into World War I,” the statement said. “The two leaders will further build on the strong counter-terrorism cooperation and economic partnership between the two countries, and they will discuss many other issues of mutual concern.”
Trump spoke by phone with Macron on Tuesday. According to the White House, he congratulated the French president on “France’s successful parliamentary elections” during the call and complimented his French counterpart “for his leadership of the new political party that secured a majority in the French National Assembly and wished him luck in launching his legislative agenda.”
A French readout of the call said Macron “renewed his invitation” to the president and first lady Melania Trump “to attend the parade on July 14th,” marking 100 years since the entry of the United States into World War I.
An Islamic State-inspired Bastille Day attack last year in Nice, France, killed more than 80 people after a truck plowed through a crowd celebrating the French national holiday. Then-President François Hollande called it an act of “terrorism.”
In a pair of tweets last year, Trump called the attack “horrific” and offered his “prayers and condolences to the victims and families of the terrible tragedy.”
“When will we learn?” he added. “It is only getting worse.”