Trump cancels First World War memorial visit to US cemetery because of 'poor weather'

Donald Trump‘s visit to a First World War cemetery was called off by the White House because of poor weather.

The US leader was set to visit the Aisne-Marne American cemetery in the French village of Belleau – the site of a 1918 battle in which the Americans and French repelled German forces. More than 1,800 Americans died there.

The battle looms large in the history of the US Marine Corps.

Mr Trump was supposed to participate in a wreath-laying and a moment of silence at the site, but heavy rain prevented him from arriving via helicopter to the site, which is more than 50 miles east of the French capital.

The grandson of Winston Churchill was among those who condemned Mr Trump for cancelling the trip.

Conservative MP Nicolas Soames tweeted: “They died with their face to the foe and that pathetic inadequate @realDonaldTrump couldn’t even defy the weather to pay his respects to The Fallen.”

David Frum, the former speechwriter for President George W. Bush, said he thought it was “incredible” that the US president would travel to France and not pay his respects to US soldiers.

Ben Rhodes, deputy national security adviser under President Barack Obama, said the White House’s excuse about “logistical difficulties caused by the weather” did not make sense.

“I helped plan all of President Obama’s trips for 8 years,” he wrote on Twitter. “There is always a rain option. Always.”

As many of his countrymen fought in Vietnam, the US leader received five military deferments during the 1960s – four for academic reasons and one for bone spurs, or calcium build-up in the heels.

During his presidential campaign, he could not recall which heel had been affected. He later said the issue had been “temporary” and “minor”, adding that “over a period of time, it healed up”.

White House chief of staff John Kelly, a retired Marine Corps general, his wife and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will visit instead.

Mr Trump is visiting France for a weekend commemorating the 100 years since the end of the First World War.

But a spat with French president Emmanuel Macron over their comments about European security threatened to divert attention away from this.

The American and French leaders, who have had something of an up-and-down relationship, worked to project unity on whether Europe should create an army as they addressed reporters before they held private meetings at the Elysée Palace.

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The document states that failure to comply with these rules “could lead to the termination of the diplomatic asylum granted by the Ecuadorian state” Reuters 27/50 15 October 2018 Israeli soldiers hurl tear gas grenades during clashes following Israeli order to shut down the al-Lubban/al-Sawiyeh school near the west bank city of Nablus, 15 October 2018. According to local sources, 20 Palestinians were wounded during clashes as dozens try to defiance the Israeli order to shut down the school EPA 28/50 14 October 2018 Serbia's Novak Djokovic kisses the trophy after winning his men's final singles match against Croatia's Borna Coric at the Shanghai Masters. 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A Category 4 storm, with maximum sustained winds of 155 mph, was the most powerful storm ever to hit the Florida Panhandle Getty 33/50 9 October 2018 The Darul Muttaqien Mosque was the heart of the community for many in Palu. A lot of the victims were inside their homes or at the mosque when the quake struck. Magareb prayer for many, was their last. Paddy Dowling travelled with UK based charity Muslim Aid to the disaster areas of North Sulawesi to witness the scale of Indonesia’s earthquake & tsunami. They are the only British NGO delivering aid out in Palu through local partners Paddy Dowling 34/50 8 October 2018 People take part in a candle-light vigil in memory of Bulgarian TV journalist Viktoria Marinova in Ruse Reuters 35/50 7 October 2018 Supporters of Jair Bolsonaro, presidential candidate with the Social Liberal Party, celebrate in front of his house during the general elections in Rio. The far-right congressman, who waxes nostalgically about the dictatorship, won the vote but not an outright victory. The second-round-run-off will be between Bolsoanro and the leftist Workers' party Fernando Haddad AP 36/50 6 October 2018 Demonstrators hold a banner that reads "freedom of the press, not allowed to be trampled" and "shame on the governments vindictive move" past a symbolic 'political red line' during a protest after Hong Kong immigration authorities declined a visa renewal for senior Financial Times journalist Victor Mallet, outside the immigration department building in Hong Kong. Hong Kong's decision to effectively blacklist a senior Financial Times journalist required an "urgent explanation", the UK said AFP/Getty 37/50 5 October 2018 Congolese doctor Denis Mukwege and Yazidi campaigner Nadia Murad announced as the winners of the 2018 Nobel Peace Prize. The pair were awarded the honour “for their efforts to end the use of sexual violence as a weapon of war and armed conflict.” AFP/Getty/Reuters 38/50 4 October 2018 Dutch security services expel Russian spies over plot targeting chemical weapons watchdog. This picture shows the four GRU officers who entered the Netherlands at Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport on April 10, travelling on official Russian passports. On April 13 they parked a car carrying specialist hacking equipment outside the headquarters of the OPCW in The Hague. At that point the Dutch counter-terrorism officers intervened to disrupt the operation and the four GRU officers were ordered to leave the country PA 39/50 3 October 2018 Quake survivors make their way past a washed out passenger ferry in Wani, Indonesia's Central Sulawesi, after an earthquake and tsunami hit the area on September 28. Nearly 1,400 people are now known to have died as UN officials warned the "needs remain vast" for both desperate survivors and rescue teams still searching for victims AFP/Getty 40/50 2 October 2018 US first lady Melania Trump holds a baby during a visit to a hospital in Accra, Ghana. The first lady is visiting Africa on her first big solo international trip, aiming to make child well-being the focus of a five-day, four-country tour Reuters 41/50 1 October 2018 Indian school children dressed like Mahatma Gandhi perform yoga during a event at a school in Chennai ahead of his birth anniversary. 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AFP/Getty 44/50 28 September 2018 Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and German Chancellor Angela Merkel during a press conference in Berlin. Erdogan's official state visit has been met with protests EPA 45/50 27 September 2018 Equatorial Guinea's President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo addresses the 73rd session of the United Nations General Assembly, at U.N. headquarters AP 46/50 26 September 2018 Members of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) search for victims after a building collapsed in New Delhi killing five people, the latest incident highlighting India's poor urban planning and construction AFP/Getty 47/50 25 September 2018 US golfer Tiger Woods tees off during a practice session ahead of the 42nd Ryder Cup at Le Golf National Course at Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines, south-west of Paris AFP/Getty 48/50 24 September 2018 President Donald Trump and US ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley, talk with UN secretary general Antonio Guterres during the General Assembly at UN Headquarters AP 49/50 23 September 2018 Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has claimed that his country is "ready to confront America", following an attack on a military parade in Ahvaz in which 25 people were killed. The attack has been blamed by Iranian government and military officials on gulf states that are allied with the US AP 50/50 22 September 2018 Pakistan has invited Saudi Arabia to become a partner in the Beijing funded Belt and Road scheme that will improve and expand Pakistan's infrastructure. The invite comes at the end of Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan's two day trip to the Middle Eastern country, where he met with Saudi King Salman EPA

Just as Air Force One touched down in Paris Friday night, Mr Trump called his counterpart’s suggestion that Europe build its own military in order to protect itself from the US, China and Russia “very insulting“.

He added: “Perhaps Europe should first pay its fair share of Nato, which the US subsidises greatly!”

Mr Macron said earlier this week that Europe needs to protect itself against “China, Russia and even the United States” in terms of cyberspace. Later, Macron reiterated that Europe needs to build up its own military because it can no longer depend on the US for defence.

The French president’s office insisted that the US leader had misunderstood the comments about sharing the defence burden and 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, adding that Mr Macron “understands that and he understands the United States can only do so much, in fairness to the United States.”

The US leader added that his country wants to “absolutely be there” to help defend Europe but that “different countries have to also help.”

Mr Macron, meanwhile, defended his viewpoint.

“I do share President Trump’s views that we need a much better burden sharing with Nato,” he said. He added that his proposal was ”utterly consistent with that”.

He said it was “unfair to have the European security today being assured just by the United States”.