WASHINGTON -- Tending to bonding before business, President Donald Trump and France's Emmanuel Macron opened the French president's visit Monday with a double date with their wives at George Washington's house.
The presidents and their spouses hopped on a helicopter bound for Mount Vernon, Washington's historic riverside home, for a private dinner one night before the two leaders sit down for talks on an agenda including security, trade and the Iran nuclear deal.
Macron's pomp-filled three-day state visit to Washington underscores the importance that both sides attach to the relationship: Macron, who calls Trump often, has emerged as something of a "Trump whisperer" at a time when the American president's relationships with other European leaders are more strained. Trump chose to honor Macron with the first state visit of his administration.
"This is a great honor and I think a very important state visit given the moment of our current environment," Macron said after his plane landed at a U.S. military base near Washington.
For all their camaraderie, Macron and Trump disagree on some fundamental issues, including the multinational nuclear deal, which is aimed at restricting Iran's development of nuclear weapons.
Iran agreed to curb its nuclear program in exchange for relief from crippling international sanctions. But Trump and other critics have assailed the agreement because some of its provisions begin expiring after a decade and it does not block Iran's ballistic missile program, much less address its actions to destabilize the region.
Trump has demanded that the deal be "fixed" by May 12 or he will pull out. The State Department has been negotiating with Britain, France and Germany in hopes of crafting a supplemental agreement that would address some of his criticisms, like the expiration clauses, inspection provisions and ballistic missiles.
Macron says he is not satisfied with the situation in Iran and thinks the agreement is imperfect, but he has argued for the U.S. sticking with the deal on the grounds that there is not yet a "Plan B."
Macron said in an interview on Fox News Sunday that he was "not satisfied" with the situation in Iran and would support modifications to the deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.
"My point is to say, don't leave now to JCPOA as long as you don't have a better option for nuclear, and let's complete it with ballistic missile and a regional containment," Macron said.
Mohammad Javad Zarif, Iran's foreign minister, picked up on that message Monday to warn that there would be no substitute for the nuclear accord if Trump tears it up.
"President Macron is correct in saying there's no 'Plan B' on JCPOA," Zarif wrote on Twitter. "It's either all or nothing. European leaders should encourage President Trump not just to stay in the nuclear deal, but more importantly to begin implementing his part of the bargain in good faith."
Macron will not be the only European leader scheduled to be in Washington this week to press Trump on the Iran deal. Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany is due to visit the White House on Friday, although without the trappings of a state visit.
The Trumps and Macrons helped plant a tree on the White House grounds together before boarding Trump's Marine One helicopter for a scenic tour of monuments built in the capital city designed by French-born Pierre L'Enfant as they fly south to Mount Vernon, the first U.S. president's home along the Potomac River.
The young oak is an environmentally friendly gift to the White House from Macron, and one that also bears historical significance. It sprouted at a World War I site in France, the Battle of Belleau Wood, that became part of U.S. Marine Corps lore.
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After Trump's helicopter landed at Mount Vernon, the two presidents, each holding his wife's hand, walked a short distance and posed for pictures before they boarded golf carts that ferried them to the front door of Washington's plantation house. The couples were led on a brief outdoor tour before they entered the pale yellow building for dinner of Dover sole, pasta stuffed with lemon ricotta, and chocolate souffle and cherry vanilla ice cream.
Trump declared the dinner "really fantastic" before returning to the White House.
Macron will be welcomed back to the White House today with a traditional arrival ceremony featuring nearly 500 members of the U.S. military and a 21-gun salute. The state visit also offers Macron his first Oval Office sit-down with Trump and a joint White House news conference. There's also a State Department lunch hosted by Vice President Mike Pence.
The French president's White House day will be capped tonight with a state dinner.
Trump's wife, Melania Trump, has played an active role in every detail of the visit, said White House spokesman Sarah Huckabee Sanders.
The first lady settled on a menu of rack of lamb and nectarine tart, along with after-dinner entertainment provided by the Washington National Opera for about 150 guests.
Dinner will be served in the State Dining Room, which will feature more than 2,500 stems of white sweet pea flowers and nearly 1,000 stems of white lilac. Separately, more than 1,200 branches of cherry blossoms will adorn the majestic Cross Hall.
The first lady opted for a cream-and-gold color scheme and will use a mix of china services from the presidencies of Bill Clinton and George W. Bush.
State dinner tickets are highly sought after by Washington's political and business elite. A few of those expected to attend: Christine Lagarde, head of the International Monetary Fund and a former top French government official; House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis.; Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and his wife, Louise Linton; Defense Secretary James Mattis, Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., and Mike Pompeo, Trump's choice to be the next secretary of state.
Information for this article was contributed by Darlene Superville of The Associated Press, and by Peter Baker and Julie Hirschfeld Davis of The New York Times.
A Section on 04/24/2018