President Donald Trump and first lady Melania will welcome French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife to the United States on April 24 for the first state visit of Trump’s administration, White House press secretary Sarah Sanders told reporters on Monday.
“This visit will advance American and French cooperation on economic and global issues and deepen the friendship between the two countries,” Sanders said during the afternoon press briefing.
President Trump and the first lady visited with the Macrons during a July 2017 trip to France over Bastille Day. France honored America as the “national guest of honor” for the events that also commemorated the 100th anniversary of the United States’ entry into World War I.
Macron joined Trump in a pledge to strengthen their cooperation to fight Islamic terrorism. The two held a joint press conference during the trip to France, during which he recalled the 2016 Bastille Day Islamic terror attack in Nice, France, “Tomorrow will mark one year since a joyous Bastille Day celebration turned into a massacre …We all remember that – how horrible that was. We mourn the 86 lives that were stolen and we pray for their loved ones.”
Trump pledged a renewed “resolve to stand against these enemies of humanity, and to strip them of their territory, their funding, their networks, and their ideological support.”
Trump and the first lady joined the Macrons for a Bastille Day military parade on the Champs Elysee during their visit. The President has since indicated support for an American military parade similar in style to the one France put on during his visit.
A majority of French citizens polled around the time of the visit revealed majority support for President Trump’s visit to their country.
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