President Donald Trump on Tuesday defended his missing a memorial event to commemorate the end of World War One in France last Saturday.
In an early-morning tweet, Trump said that he couldn’t drive to the cemetery because it was “too far from the airport,” and bad weather had grounded the presidential helicopter.
“By the way, when the helicopter couldn’t fly to the first cemetery in France because of almost zero visibility, I suggested driving. Secret Service said NO, too far from airport & big Paris shutdown. Speech next day at American Cemetary (sic) in pouring rain! Little reported-Fake News!”
White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said previously that Trump decided not to visit the cemetery, which is about 60 miles north-east of Paris, due to the traffic it would cause.
"President Trump did not want to cause that kind of unexpected disruption to the city and its people," she said. Trump visited a different U.S. cemetery in a Paris suburb on Sunday.
Critics pounced on Trump after the White House announced that he would not visit the cemetery on Saturday, with many noting that Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made a trip to a cemetery in Vimy, which is 118 miles outside Paris, in the rain.
Trump also missed the Paris Peace Forum with French President Emmanuel Macron, which started on Sunday.