FRANCE/MILITARY/NATIONALISM/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “President Trump issued a blistering personal attack on Tuesday [11-13-18] against President Emmanuel Macron of France, his host last weekend, and sought to douse a furor over his decision not to visit a cemetery of American soldiers while in France because of rain. Two days after returning from Paris, Mr. Trump responded via Twitter to Mr. Macron’s denunciation of nationalism by accusing the French president of what he himself is often accused of — trying to change the subject. ‘The problem is that Emmanuel suffers from a very low Approval Rating in France, 26%, and an unemployment rate of almost 10%,’ wrote Mr. Trump, whose own approval rating in France is 9 percent…Mr. Trump, who traveled to France for ceremonies hosted by Mr. Macron marking the 100th anniversary of the end of World War I, also defended himself against critics who assailed his decision to cancel a trip on Saturday to the Aisne-Marne American Cemetery at the foot of the hill where the Battle of Belleau Wood was fought. Aides cited the rainy weather, making it problematic to fly in his Marine One helicopter.”
–Peter Baker, “Trump Assails Macron and Defends Decision to Skip Cemetery Visit,” The New York Times online, November 13, 2018