The French army’s official Twitter account appears to have trolled President Donald Trump after he missed a ceremony for soldiers killed during World War I at a U.S. cemetery in France due to rain.
Trump was scheduled to pay his respects at Aisne-Marne American Cemetery in Belleau – about 60 miles from Pairs – alongside the First Lady Melania as part of ceremonies marking 100 years since the end of the First Word War. The plan was to participate in a wreath-laying ceremony at the site of a the battle of Belleau Wood, where American, French and British troops joined forces against Germany in 1918. More than 1,800 Americans lost their lives.
But the plan for Trump to travel to the cemetery by helicopter was grounded due to rain and poor visibility. The White House later said it nixed Trump taking a motorcade to the cemetery to prevent traffic disruption in Paris.
“(Their attendance) has been canceled due to scheduling and logistical difficulties caused by the weather,” the White House statement read, citing security concerns.
It wasn’t the first time bad weather thwarted a Trump visit.
But the explanation didn’t cut it for some of Trump’s critics who took to Twitter to sound off over the weekend.
And it wasn’t over by Monday, when the French army deployed a tweet appearing to mock the reason for Trump’s absence.
“Il y a de la pluie, mais c’est pas grave On reste motivé,” their tweet reads, using the #MondayMotivation hashtag.
English translation: “There’s rain, but it’s not serious. We’re staying motivated.”
The picture depicts a soldier in boot camp crawling through the muddy waters.
Chief of Staff John Kelly, a retired Marine general, and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Joe Dunford served in Trump’s place at Saturday’s ceremony.
And on Sunday, Trump paid tribute to veterans at the Suresnes American Cemetery and Memorial in Paris.
“It is our duty to preserve the civilization they defended. We renew our sacred obligation to memorialize our fallen heroes,” he said.
