SHARE
COPY LINK

DONALD TRUMP

Most French approve of Trump’s visit (even after all he’s said about France)

Even after everything the US president has said about Paris and France in the past, most French people approve of him being invited to the annual July 14th parade on the Champs-Elysées. Although there will be pockets of French resistance.

Most French approve of Trump's visit (even after all he's said about France)
Photo: AFP

Donald Trump hasn't been too kind when speaking about France in the past.

“Ask the people of France how they're doing? Not good I tell you. In fact really really bad. In fact people don't even want to go there anymore.”

These were Trump's words to a campaign rally. He also said that France was at fault for the terror attacks it had suffered “Because they allowed people to come into their territory.”

And basing his opinions of the country and its capital on reports from his mystery friend called Jim, who “loves the City of Lights” Trump famously told a press conference that “France is no longer France” and that Jim, a “substantial guy” had advised him not to travel there.

And in other statements he said the same about Paris, all based of course on the views of his friend Jim.

His words even became a YouTube hit.

Trump was suggesting the string of Jihadist terror attacks had changed the country and left the City of Lights as one big no-go zone.

His words caused anger across this side of the Atlantic, with the Mayor of Paris Anne Hidalgo calling him “unfriendly” and then then PM Manuel Valls called him “a bad man”.

Ex-President François Hollande accused Trump of showing “disrespect to an ally” and asked him to stop criticizing his country as it tried to recover from the deadly terrorist attacks.

Here at The Local, we tried to convince Trump that despite everything that had happened France was indeed still France.

Yet over a year on Trump touched down on French soil for the first time as president and while he may be reminded of his words during his brief trip, there is hardly anger on the streets of Paris over his visit.

While the US president recently postponed a planned to trip to London because he didn't want to go if there were large scale protests, an opinion poll in France this week revealed most French people approved of him being invited to the annual Bastille Day celebrations on Friday.

France is still France whatever Donald Trump might say

The poll by the Elabe polling agency showed that 59 percent of French people backed the decision to invite the controversial US president, although right-wing voters were far more likely to approve than those on the left.

While some politicians criticized French President Emmanuel Macron's invitation to Trump as “unworthy” after he announced he would withdraw the US from the Paris climate agreement”, most appear to agree that despite the US president's stance on climate and trade, France still needed its “oldest ally”.

“Whatever you think, the United States is still the United States and we need them on lots of issues. You can't just say 'Trump is there so let's wait until he's gone',” Manuel Lafont-Rapnouil, an expert at the European Council on Foreign Relations think tank told AFP. “Even if it is very difficult to handle someone as unpredictable as him, you need to try to salvage what you can.”

The fact this year's annual Bastille Day parade on the Champs-Elysées is to commemorate the 100th anniversary of America's involvement in World War One, meant the US president was always likely to be invited, no matter who was in the White House.

In fact France's invitation to the White House has been planned for a long time, with Macron simply re-sending it after becoming president in May.

But that's not to say there won't be some resistance to Trump's presence in Paris and much of it will come from disillusioned Americans.

For a start the French branch of Democrats Abroad is planning to protest on Thursday evening at the Memorial to American Volunteers at Place des Etats-Unis near Avenue Iena.

“Democrats Abroad France will be gathering to demonstrate our support for the fight for freedom and democratic values and our opposition to the policies of Trump,” said a statement from the group.

The Facebook group “Paris Against Trump”, which counts around 1,500 members, is also trying to mobilize support and will present at two other protests in the city during Trump's visit.

On Thursday evening a “No Trump Zone” has been declared in the Place de la Republique by the social movement Nuits Debouts and on Friday at 14:00 Le Front Social is organizing a demo From Place de Clichy to Barbes in the north of the city.

While the protest is not specifically against the US president, we can expect to see some anti-Trump banners.

“Trump is not welcome in Paris,” said the “No Trump Zone event's Facebook page in French. “We are opposed to his positions on the climate crisis, his international politics against migrants, his sexist speeches and behavior, his Islamophobia and racist remarks, his military plans around the world and his neo-liberalism and capitalism.”

Trump might expect some other surprises throughout his trip with calls to block his access to the Champs-Elysées parade on Friday.

Trump however is unlikely to be phased by any of these protests.

For a start he will be protected by an almost unprecedented level of security far from the protests and will spend his time in Paris, being treated to pomp, pageantry and posh cuisine at a plush Eiffel Tower restaurant.

French authorities will be hoping his trip goes smoothly and he can report back to his friend Jim that in fact Paris really is still Paris.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

AMBASSADOR

Trump’s ambassador to Denmark leaves country as president’s term ends

After three years as United States Ambassador to Denmark, Carla Sands has stepped down from the post and left Copenhagen.

Trump’s ambassador to Denmark leaves country as president’s term ends
Outgoing United States Ambassador to Denmark Carla Sands. Photo: Philip Davali/Ritzau Scanpix

The now-former ambassador confirmed she had taken leave of the Danish capital via Twitter.

US president Donald Trump’s term ends on Wednesday, with President-elect Joe Biden to be inaugurated at 6pm Danish time.

“It's been a privilege serving the Trump Administration for over 3 years as U.S. Ambassador to the Kingdom of Denmark. I’ve enjoyed promoting USA-Denmark-Faroe Islands-Greenland relations,” Sands tweeted.

“I have departed Copenhagen,” she added in a follow-up tweet.

In a video included in the tweets, Sands mentions her highlights of her time as ambassador. These include the re-opening of the US consulate in Greenland capital Nuuk alongside US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.

Sands, who took over as ambassador in 2017 after being appointed by Trump, is likely to be remembered as the incumbent at the time of Trump’s overtures towards purchasing Greenland, an autonomous territory within the Danish kingdom.

After Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen dismissed Trump’s suggestion that the United States could buy the Arctic territory from Denmark, the US president promptly cancelled an official visit to Denmark scheduled for September 2019.

Sands met with the Danish government on several occasions in an attempt to take the heat out of a potential diplomatic dispute.

READ ALSO: Danes pour scorn on Trump after state visit postponement

More recently, Sands was criticised for tweeting an incorrect claim that her own vote had not been counted in the country's general election.

The ambassador posted on her personal Twitter account a screenshot which she claimed showed her absentee ballot in the state of Pennsylvania had not been registered. She also made several other posts on the site following the US election in support of Trump's baseless claims of election fraud.

Several other Twitter users – as well as the New York Times – looked up Sands' vote on the Pennsylvania state government website and found it was in fact registered.

READ ALSO: US ambassador to Denmark makes incorrect Twitter claim about own vote

After a mob of Donald Trump supporters stormed the Capitol building in Washington DC on January 6th, Sands was officially contacted by foreign minister Jeppe Kofod. The minister called for Trump to concede defeat in the election and ensure a peaceful transition of power.

Newspaper Berlingske reported that this was the first time in history that a Danish foreign minister had officially protested over internal affairs in the United States.

SHOW COMMENTS