Quote: Parisians are greeting President Trump's visit Thursday for Bastille Day celebrations in the way the French do best: total disdain.
"Pfff — he should just go to Pittsburgh," student Marie Billoteau, 24, said, harking to Trump's explanation June 1 for withdrawing from the Paris climate change agreement: "I was elected to represent the citizens of Pittsburgh, not Paris.”
Many expressed bewilderment that their new president, Emmanuel Macron, invited an American president who had supported Macron's right-wing opponent and disagrees with the French government on a range of international issues.
Others just shrugged and said Trump will enjoy his first visit here as president to be feted as the guest of honor. This file photo shows a table at the Jules Verne restaurant in the Eiffel Tower in Paris, taken Dec. 21, 2007. (Photo: Patrick Hertzog, AFP/Getty Images)
On Thursday, Macron will host dinner at the Jules Verne restaurant atop the Eiffel Tower with and creations by one of France's most celebrated chefs, Alain Ducasse. On Friday, Trump will watch the annual Bastille Day parade down the Champs-Elysées with all its pomp and circumstance.
Student Billoteau said she just hopes Trump behaves: "He doesn't seem to know what is correct sometime."
Her view of Trump is widespread. A poll in May by Suffolk University found 82% of the French have an unfavorable view of him — even more negative that
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Still, the invitation was a brilliant move by Macron, said Eddy Fougier, a political scientist with the French Institute of International and Strategic Affairs in Paris.
“Since Donald Trump declared a while ago that Paris wasn’t Paris anymore, Macron probably wants to show him that Paris is still Paris,” he said of the visit that includes honoring the 100th anniversary of the United States' entry into World War I.
Trump said in 2015 television interview about the wave of migrants entering Europe, "I was in Paris, and Paris doesn’t look like Paris anymore." He made similar comments more recently.
“It’s a pragmatic approach for Macron, and the fact that the U.S. president and troops will be in Paris will raise the profile of France in the world on the day,” Fougier added. Bastille Day is a French national holiday that celebrates the Storming of the Bastille, that kickstarted the French Revolution. Time
Former presidential contender Jean-Luc Mélenchon of the far-left party, La France Insoumise, said he "deplores" the fact that Trump will be on French soil when the country marks its version of July Fourth — the storming of the Bastille fortress in 1789 during the French Revolution.
"Mr. Trump is not welcome at all to celebrate July 14th — that's to celebrate France's freedom," Mélenchon told French broadcaster Europe 1. "Trump is a violent person and has no reason to be here."
That disdain for Trump will be on full display at Place de la Republique and at least two other districts in central Paris during his visit with demonstrations.
"Trump is not welcome in Paris," organizers of Paris Against Trump wrote on their Facebook page. "We oppose his positions, ... his sexist speeches and behavior, his Islamophobia and racist remarks."
File this under you can lead a horse to water....
Will the POTUS see you can treat people you disagree with with respect? Will he learn something about the country he was invited to visit?
Or will this be turned into something to self inflate his ego?
The world will watch and wait....
Your anger and ego will always reveal your true self.
Jim doesn't go to Paris anymore. Mr Trump says that's because the city has been infiltrated by foreign extremists.
Whether Jim exists is unclear. Mr Trump has never given his last name. The White House has not responded to a request for comment about who he is or whether he will be on the trip.
Mr Trump repeatedly talked about the enigmatic Jim while on the campaign trail, but his friend didn't receive widespread attention until Trump became president.
For Trump, Jim's story serves as a cautionary tale - a warning that even a place as lovely as Paris can be ruined if leaders are complacent about terrorism.
Jim's biggest moment in the spotlight was during a high-profile Trump speech in February at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Maryland.
Trump explained that Jim "loves the City of Lights, he loves Paris. For years, every year during the summer, he would go to Paris. It was automatic, with his wife and his family."
Trump one day asked Jim: "How's Paris doing?"
"'Paris?" Jim replied, as relayed by Trump. "'I don't go there anymore. Paris is no longer Paris.'"
The mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo, responded by tweeting a photo of herself with Mickey and Minnie Mouse inviting Trump "and his friend Jim to France to "celebrate the dynamism and the spirit of openness of Paris."
Mr Trump has put immigration at the core of his anti-terrorism strategy. He proposed a Muslim ban during the campaign and is fighting in the courts to temporarily bar travelers from six Muslim-majority nations as well as refugees. Donald Trump and first lady Melania disembark Air Force One at Orly airportCREDIT: IAN LANGSDON/EPA
Mr Macron is an outspoken critic of discriminatory policies against France's Muslim population. He favors strong external European Union borders and he's also called for a united European policy on immigration so that countries like Greece are not disproportionately affected by the influx of refugees.
Mr Trump believes European policies fall short of any credible efforts to protect the public. He has vowed to push forward with a plan to build a wall along America's southern border with Mexico and he advocates for "extreme vetting" to "keep terrorists out."
Mr Trump never endorsed Mr Macron's election opponent, far-right candidate Marine Le Pen, but in an interview with The Associated Press, he noted that terrorist attacks in France would "probably help" her win since "she's the strongest on borders and she's the strongest on what's been going on in France."
Mr Trump has criticized several European leaders, accusing them of lax counterterrorism policies. He lashed out at London Mayor Sadiq Khan after an attack on London Bridge last month.
In a February speech, Trump denounced Sweden's policies and talked about "what's happening last night in Sweden." Swedish officials sought clarification because there were no known attacks in their country that night.
Trump took to Twitter to explain: "My statement as to what's happening in Sweden was in reference to a story that was broadcast on @FoxNews concerning immigrants & Sweden."
Your anger and ego will always reveal your true self.
(07-13-2017, 08:52 AM)GMDino Wrote: Trump explained that Jim "loves the City of Lights, he loves Paris. For years, every year during the summer, he would go to Paris. It was automatic, with his wife and his family."
Trump one day asked Jim: "How's Paris doing?"
"'Paris?" Jim replied, as relayed by Trump. "'I don't go there anymore. Paris is no longer Paris.'"
I know Jim. Paris used to be my absolute favorite city too. But I would never dare go there now. The whole city has become a "no-go" zone for police and military. Islamic militants have created a Sharia state within France and announced that is exactly what they want to do in America. A lot of right thinking Parisians were against all this, but liberals, working with the Islamists, voted to cancel French Law in Paris so that Islamists would not be offended.
I think you can get an app that tells you when you are in a no go zone or not. Why isn't the MSM reporting on this?
“We came here for Donald Trump,” said Sylvain Martel, 40, who had woken his family up at 3 a.m. local time (9 p.m. ET) to drive to the parade in Paris from Nancy, some 4.5 hours to the east. “He’s the most powerful man in the world and we’re happy he’s here to celebrate July 14."
Fréderic Audes, who had also come to the parade with his family, agreed that it was a good thing that Trump was taking part in the national holiday.
“This year the parade has double the symbolism and it shows there is still a strong link between France and the United States,” said Audes, who had traveled into town from the Paris suburbs.
Angie Dragt, a tourist from the Bay area in California, who was visiting Paris with her family, said she was proud that Trump was partaking in the parade.
“Everyone is so busy fighting, there is so much negativity, when what we should be doing is what Donald Trump and the French President are doing: laying everything down, being friends, being kind and celebrating the bonds that unite us,” she said.
This year’s Bastille Day parade has dual symbolism: Not only does it celebrate July 14, France’s most important holiday, marking the storming of the Bastille prison in 1789, which helped spark the French Revolution. It also commemorates the 100th anniversary of the United States' entry into World War I.
(07-13-2017, 06:15 PM)Dill Wrote: I know Jim. Paris used to be my absolute favorite city too. But I would never dare go there now. The whole city has become a "no-go" zone for police and military. Islamic militants have created a Sharia state within France and announced that is exactly what they want to do in America. A lot of right thinking Parisians were against all this, but liberals, working with the Islamists, voted to cancel French Law in Paris so that Islamists would not be offended.
I think you can get an app that tells you when you are in a no go zone or not. Why isn't the MSM reporting on this?
Those pictures are hilarious.
Nothing in here is true or maybe there's another country called France in the world.
And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.
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Bradd Jaffy ![[Image: C5cjp8YWUAASNxd.jpg:small]](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/C5cjp8YWUAASNxd.jpg:small)
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Anne Hidalgo ![[Image: TELEMMGLPICT000134563998-large_trans_NvB...XkJAA.jpeg]](http://www.telegraph.co.uk/content/dam/news/2017/07/13/TELEMMGLPICT000134563998-large_trans_NvBQzQNjv4BqkOwR0iP77jSmoq9t8DUmdpoeWhrs_rFJRBZ2-2XkJAA.jpeg)
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