French President Emmanuel Macron and U.S President Donald J. Trump, left, meet at the Elysee palace in Paris, Saturday, Nov.10 2018. Trump is joining other world leaders at centennial commemorations in Paris this weekend to mark the end of World War I. (Christophe Petit Tesson, Pool via AP) (Paris) — Traveling from across the world to battlefields where their soldiers fell 100 years ago, victors and vanquished alike celebrated those sacrifices ahead of Sunday’s Armistice Day and assessed a future in which it is increasingly difficult to see where the United States stands. A century ago, the entry of U.S. troops into World War I tipped the momentum toward its allies, including France and Britain. On Saturday, as he began two days of remembrance of the 1914-18 war, U.S. President Donald Trump said his nation bears far too much of the burden to defend the West. In a flurry of armistice diplomacy, Trump and French counterpart Emmanuel Macron displayed an awkward coolness during their bilateral meeting, at odds with the chummy warmth that had marked former meetings between the two. The nationalist and protectionist Trump has increasingly clashed with European allies over his America-first policies, and he was true to form during his trip to Paris, shooting off an angry tweet saying Macron’s views on European defense are “very insulting.” At their meeting early Saturday, Macron seemed eager to keep up a show of camaraderie, and asked about the tweet, he reached out to pat Trump on the thigh. Trump… [Read full story]
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