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A2 UP FRONT
Saturday 15 July 2017
White-knuckle handshake giving way to Trump, Macron bromance
By LORI HINNANT that Macron later said was
VIVIAN SALAMA meant to show he’s no
Associated Press pushover was widely in-
PARIS (AP) — A muscular terpreted as a sign of the
handshake that turned fraught relations to come.
their knuckles white seems Trump’s brand of “America
to be giving way to a bud- First” politics had unsettled
ding friendship between some European allies.
Donald Trump and Emman- But the body language
uel Macron. in Paris this week suggest-
The unexpected bro- ed their relationship has
mance between the lead- moved to a new level. Both
ers of America and France seemed to minimize differ-
was on full display for the ences in order to focus on
world Friday at the annual areas where they can work
Bastille Day military parade together, such as the crisis
and celebration in Paris. in Syria and Mideast secu-
This year the event coin- rity.
cided with the 100th anni- Macron, in closing the pa-
versary of the U.S. entry into rade, publicly thanked the
World War I. U.S. for coming to France’s
Trump spent a large por- aid during the war, saying
tion of his day and a half “nothing will ever separate
in the French capital in French President Emmanuel Macron, second left, shakes hands with U.S President Donald Trump us.”
the embrace of Macron, while First Lady Melania Trump and Brigitte Macron, left, walk on sides after the Bastille Day military “The presence at my side
who went to extraordinary parade on the Champs Elysees avenue in Paris Friday, July 14, 2017. France’s annual Bastille Day of the president of the
lengths to impress the U.S. parade turned into an event high on American patriotism this year, marked by a warm embrace United States, Mr. Donald
president by turning a day between President Donald Trump and his French counterpart. Trump, and of his wife, is the
(Christophe Archambault, Pool via AP)
of national pride into a cel- sign of a friendship across
ebration of American pa- tween the two countries. changed many hand- Trump’s first visit to France the ages,” Macron said.
triotism and friendship be- Trump and Macron ex- shakes during the course of as president, perhaps none Trump made no remarks
more telling than the one at the conclusion of the
they shared after the pa- parade, but he returned
rade. As Trump prepared the kindness in a statement
to head home to the released as Air Force One
United States, the leaders flew back to the U.S.
clasped hands and held “America and France will
on to each other as they never be defeated or di-
walked. Trump at one point vided,” Trump said, adding
pulled the smaller Macron that it was his “high hon-
off balance and held fast or” to commemorate, on
as they approached their French soil, France’s most
wives. Even then, Trump historic day and the 100th
held on to Macron’s hand anniversary of the entry of
as he shook hands with Ma- the United States into World
cron’s wife, Brigitte. War I. They capped Thurs-
They appeared to have day with a double dinner
moved beyond that tense date with their wives at the
introduction in May, when famed Jules Verne restau-
a white-knuckle handshake rant in the Eiffel Tower.q
US kills IS leader in Afghanistan
By LOLITA C. BALDOR The U.S. and Afghan forc-
Associated Press es launched an offensive
WASHINGTON (AP) — The against the IS group in ear-
Pentagon says that U.S. ly March, as the militants
forces killed the head of were gaining a foothold in
the Islamic State group af- eastern Afghanistan.
filiate in Afghanistan in an Mattis tells Pentagon re-
airstrike in Kunar province porters that taking out a
earlier this week. leader creates disarray in
Defense Secretary Jim the ranks.
Mattis says that killing Abu He declines to provide any
Sayed is significant be- additional details on the
cause the loss of leader- strike.
ship sets insurgent groups A chief Pentagon spokes-
back for days or weeks. person, Dana White, says
IS in Afghanistan is known that Abu Sayed was killed
as the Islamic State-Kho- on Tuesday along with oth-
rasan group. er members of the group.q
