FRENCH CONNECTION
U.S. leader noncommittal on rejoining Paris climate pact
French President Emmanuel Macron, left, and President Donald Trump walk in the courtyard of Les Invalides in Paris on Thursday during an official welcoming ceremony. Mr. Trump is on a two-day visit and will be the guest of honor at the annual Bastille Day parade.
PARIS — President Donald Trump and French President Emmanuel Macron set aside differences on climate change during their meeting Thursday in France, asserting the differences shouldn’t prevent them from working together toward a post-war road map for Syria and to enhance Mideast security.
Mr. Trump, standing alongside Mr. Macron at a news conference, said the two nations have “occasional disagreements,” but that would not disrupt a friendship that dates back to the American Revolution. He remained noncommittal about the U.S. eventually rejoining the global climate agreement that bears Paris’ name, telling Mr. Macron, “if it happens, that will be wonderful, and if it doesn’t, that will be OK, too.”
Mr. Macron — who began his relationship with Mr. Trump with a white-knuckle handshake in May — acknowledged sharp differences on the Paris climate pact but said the two leaders could find other areas of cooperation. “Should that have an impact on the discussions we’re having on all other topics? No, absolutely not,” he said.
Mr. Trump arrived in Paris on Thursday for a 36hour visit — and a chance for a reset with the French leader — to meet with Mr. Macron and tackle potential solutions to the crisis in Syria and discuss broader counterterrorism strategies before being feted at Bastille Day celebrations Friday.
The president arrived amid questions about emails showing that his eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., welcomed the prospect of receiving Russian government support in last year’s presidential campaign between his father and Hillary Clinton. Mr. Trump defended his namesake, saying that “most people would have taken that meeting,” a message that contradicted his incoming FBI director’s testimony that Mr. Trump Jr. should have alerted authorities.
Mr. Trump continued to downplay the issue, saying that “nothing happened” as a result of the meeting.
During his flight to Paris, Mr. Trump had praised his son as “a good boy” and a “good kid” and said that he’d listened to the Russian lawyer’s pitch “out of politeness.”
Mr. Trump and Mr. Macron spent several hours together Thursday in some of Paris’ most opulent settings, with a visit to the goldendomed Les Invalides monument followed by meetings at the presidential palace. Mr. Trump also marked the 100th anniversary of America’s entry into World War I by visiting U.S. troops.
The visit, along with the celebration of French national pride on Bastille Day, was cast by the White House as a commemoration of the U.S.-French military alliance — both then and now.
The leaders and their wivescapped Thursday with a lavish dinner at the Jules Verne restaurant in the Eiffel Tower.
All of that put Mr. Trump in the awkward position of being feted in a city he has repeatedly disparaged. When he announced his decision on the climate agreement, Mr. Trump said he was “elected to represent the citizens of Pittsburgh, not Paris.” And he has frequently said in the past that the city has been ruined by the threat of terrorism, which he ties to immigrants.
“Paris isn’t Paris any longer,” he said in February.
Asked about those comments, Mr. Trump called Paris “one of the great cities, one of the most beautiful cities in the world” and heaped praise on the recently elected Mr. Macron, telling reporters, “You have a great leader now, you have a great president.”