THE Bastille Day parade turned into an event high on American patriotism which was marked by a warm embrace between US President Donald Trump and his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron.
Trump was the guest of honour for a celebration in Paris to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the US entry into the First World War.
The two men sat side by side with their wives, speaking animatedly as American and French warplanes roared overhead above the Champs-Elysees.
The parade coupled the display of military might with a nod to wars past and present, and the US’s role in them.
Macron thanked the US for intervening in the First World War and said the fact Trump was at his side “is the sign of a friendship across the ages. And that is why I wish to thank them, thank the United States, for the choice it made 100 years ago”.
He said the US and France are firm friends and “this is why nothing will ever separate us”.
Five of the 145 US soldiers marching in the parade, who Trump saluted as they passed, wore First World War uniforms. Also in the parade were French soldiers taking part in the current mission against Daesh in the Middle East.
Shortly after the French President’s speech, Macron and his guest stood in front of giant national flags, shook hands and embraced, then clasped each other’s hands again for a lingering moment before Trump was whisked away in his motorcade.
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