FOREIGN POLICY/FRANCE/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “President Donald Trump arrived in Paris on Thursday [7-13-17] morning for a whirlwind visit amid a political storm at home over revelations his son welcomed incriminating information on Democrat Hillary Clinton he was told came from the Russian government.
French President Emmanuel Macron is set to treat Mr. Trump to fine dining and a front-row seat at the Bastille Day military parade, as the leaders seek to overcome deep divisions. Both men see advantage in bolstering ties, as Mr. Macron looks to raise his global profile and Mr. Trump finds himself increasingly isolated abroad.
The White House said the two leaders could discuss trade and climate change—two areas where they have opposing views. Mr. Macron has been a vocal critic of Mr. Trump’s decision to pull out of the Paris Accord.
In an interview with the French regional paper Ouest France published Thursday morning, Mr. Macron levied strong criticism over the effects of Mr. Trump’s presidency on the global order…
White House officials described the French leader in flattering terms before the trip. But Mr. Trump’s relationship-building efforts abroad this week are unlikely to break through in Washington, which has been rocked by the revelation that Donald Trump Jr. in June 2016 met with a Russian lawyer after being promised damaging information about Mrs. Clinton that he was told had been gathered as part of a Russian government effort to boost Mr. Trump.”
-Rebecca Ballhaus and William Horobin, “Trump Meeting Macron in Paris Amid Controversy at Home,” The Wall Street Journal online, July 13, 2017 06:45am