Donald Trump didn’t attend an event honouring US military dead because he didn’t want to disrupt the traffic in Paris, the White House said on Sunday, as the fallout for his no-show on Saturday continued.
The US president had been scheduled to lay a wreath and observe a moment of silence at the Aisne-Marne American cemetery and memorial at Belleau, about 60 miles (100km) north-east of Paris. The White House cited rain that grounded the president’s helicopter for the cancellation.
The move sparked incredulity among some of Trump’s critics: Nicholas Soames, the Conservative MP and grandson of Sir Winston Churchill, 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 #hesnotfittorepresenthisgreatcountry.” Read more