US President Donald Trump on Monday welcomes his French counterpart, Emmanuel Macron, to Washington for a state visit aimed at cementing ties between their two countries.

Impressed by the warm welcome he received for the Bastille Day ceremony last July in Paris, the US president has returned the favour by making Emmanuel Macron the first foreign leader of the Trump era to receive a state visit – a prestigious honour that speaks volumes in the world of diplomacy.

Trump has invited his counterpart to Mount Vernon, the former residence of the first US president, for what the White House called a “private couples dinner” on Monday evening along with first ladies Melania Trump and Brigitte Macron. The choice of Mount Vernon is highly symbolic for the Franco-American relationship: It was there that the Marquis de Lafayette (one of the eight honourary citizens of the United States) used to visit his friend George Washington, who is buried at his erstwhile home. In 1790, Lafayette gave Washington the key to the Bastille as a symbol of their friendship, and it can still be seen by visitors to Mount Vernon today.

The Élysée presidential palace said it honours the close relationship between the two presidents and that this visit offers an opportunity to foster that spirit of reconciliation.

“The Franco-American relationship is cyclical,” explains Célia Belin, a political science analyst and researcher on transatlantic relations at the Brookings Institution in Washington. “There are moments of very strong agreement and understanding between the two countries. But there are other moments when it does not go as well, such as in 2003 with the dispute about the Iraq War. At this moment, we are, in a way, at the peak of the Franco-American relationship.” - Read More

Macron's Washington visit crucial to Franco-American relations ...

Iran nuclear deal set to test Macron-Trump ‘bromance’ on historic visit