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Donald Trump has been slammed after he cancelled his visit to a First World War cemetery - due to rainy weather.

The US president was set to pay tribute to the Americans who sacrificed their lives in the Great War 100 years after the devastating conflict's end.

But the White House announced that Trump, 72, and wife Melania, 48, would not fly to the Aisne-Marne American Cemetery and Memorial in Belleau by helicopter.

It said their appearance at the military cemetery, north-east of Paris, had been cancelled due to poor weather and an American delegation would take their place.

(Image: AFP/Getty Images)

The decision, and particularly the reason given, have been widely criticised.

Tory MP Sir Nicholas Soames, Winston Churchill's grandson, said Trump was dishonouring U.S. servicemen.

"They died with their face to the foe and that pathetic inadequate @realDonaldTrump couldn't even defy the weather to pay his respects to The Fallen", Soames wrote on Twitter.

And Ben Rhodes, who served as deputy national security adviser for strategic communications under President Barack Obama, said the excuse about the inclement weather did not stand up.

"I helped plan all of President Obama's trips for 8 years," he wrote on Twitter. "There is always a rain option. Always."

(Image: AFP/Getty Images)

In a statement, the White House said the Trumps' visit had been "cancelled due to scheduling and logistical difficulties caused by the weather".

The couple were due to make the approximate 50-mile journey from the French capital to the 42-acre site in the Hauts-de-France region by helicopter.

A motorcade from the heart of Paris would have been a logistical nightmare and it appears it was not possible due to time constraints.

The statement added: "An American delegation led by Chief of Staff General John Kelly and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Joe Dunford will attend on their behalf.”

The the hillside Aisne-Marne American Cemetery and Memorial is located where the Battle of Belleau Wood was fought in June 1918.

Almost 2,000 American soldiers were killed during the weeks-long battle against German forces.

Trump, who avoided being drafted into the US army during the Vietnam War, arrived in Paris on Friday ahead of Sunday's events marking the end of the First World War on November 11, 1918.

Dozens of world leaders - including French President Emmanuel Macron, Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin - will gather at the Arc de Triomphe on the Champs-Elysees in Paris to mark the 100th anniversary of the signing of the Armistice treaty.

Earlier on Saturday, the Trumps had lunch with the Macrons at the Elysee Palace in Paris after the presidents held talks on issues ranging from defence matters to the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

(Image: AFP/Getty Images)

Trump tweeted: "I am in Paris getting ready to celebrate the end of World War One.

"Is there anything better to celebrate than the end of a war, in particular that one, which was one of the bloodiest and worst of all time?"

On Saturday evening, he will join other world leaders at a dinner at the Musee d'Orsay.

Then on Sunday he is due to visit the Suresnes American Cemetery and Memorial on the outskirts of Paris before attending the memorial at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at the Arc de Triomphe.