Officials in Washington say U.S. President Donald Trump will invite French President Emmanuel Macron to pay a state visit to the White House later this year.
This would be the first state visit Trump has hosted since taking office. A state visit, in which one head of state hosts another, is considered the most formal and most prestigious type of diplomatic visit. It indicates friendly relations between two sovereign states.
The Macrons are scheduled to visit the White House in late April. The White House has not confirmed Tuesday’s report that it will be a state visit.
In July last year, the Macrons hosted the Trumps in Paris for a private dinner in the Eiffel Tower and the annual Bastille Day parade. That event was considered a less formal visit than dining at the presidential palace would have been.
Trump and Macron have managed to stay on friendly terms despite disagreeing on some key issues, most notably the U.S. withdrawal from the Paris climate agreement.
Macron spoke out after Trump was quoted earlier this month using profanity to describe African nations and Haiti. Macron said he was “outraged” by the remarks, calling them inappropriate and counterproductive.
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