Trump ditched cemetery visit to avoid causing Paris traffic jams, says Sanders

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.

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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.”

Nicolas Burns, an American diplomat who served both Republican and Democratic presidents, called the choice “astonishing”.

In the wake of criticism that Trump didn’t instead travel by car, press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders issued a statement on Sunday that noted the weather and “near-zero visibility” as well as concerns that a motorcade on short notice would have required closing roads to traffic.

“President Trump did not want to cause that kind of unexpected disruption to the city and its people,” Sanders said. She also said the trip to Aisne-Marne was 2½ hours each way by car.

Instead, Trump spent much of Saturday at the US ambassador’s residence following a meeting and lunch with French president Emmanuel Macron. Trump was in Paris for events to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the end of world war one.

Attending the cemetery event in Trump’s place were the White House chief of staff, retired Marine General John Kelly; the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Marine General Joe Dunford; and several staff members. The Battle of Belleau Wood near the site was a critical conflict in the war and a pivotal encounter in Marine Corps history.

The decision to ground Marine One, the president’s helicopter, due to bad weather was made by the Marine Corps and the White House Military Office, which then presents the recommendation to the White House in collaboration with the Secret Service, according to a Secret Service official.

Paris was covered in clouds with drizzling rain through most of Saturday.

On Sunday, Trump attended a scheduled event honouring American war dead at a US cemetery just outside Paris.