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Trump arrives in Paris with Russia scandal in tow
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US President Donald Trump makes his way to board Air Force One before departing from Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland on June 9. Trump is heading to his Bedminister, New Jersey, golf club to spend the weekend.
(AFP/Mandel Ngan)
D
onald Trump arrived in Paris on Thursday for a presidential visit filled with Bastille Day pomp and which the White House hopes will offer respite from rolling scandal back home.
Air Force One touched down at Paris' Orly airport shortly after 0630 GMT, with US president beginning a 24-hour trip that coincides with France's national day on Friday and the 100th anniversary of US involvement in World War I.
Accompanied by First Lady Melania Trump, the 71-year-old stepped onto French soil for the first time as president hoping the visit will distract from weighty allegations that his family and inner circle colluded with Russia to win the 2016 US election.
The scandal has put his son and top aides in legal jeopardy and cast a pall over his efforts to remake American politics.
During the lightning visit, Trump -- who sees himself as a transformative figure in US politics -- will be the guest of honour festivities marking a pivotal point in the French Revolution, after a trip to Napoleon's tomb and a Michelin-starred dinner at the Eiffel Tower.
Trump and his host, recently-elected French President Emmanuel Macron, will watch troops parade down the Champs-Elysees and mark 100 years since America entered World War I on France's side.
