The way Donald Trump tells it "Jim" is a friend who loves Paris and used to visit every year. Yet when Trump travels to the city Thursday for his first time as president, it's unlikely that "Jim" will tag along.

Jim doesn't go to Paris anymore. Mr Trump says that's because the city has been infiltrated by foreign extremists.

Whether Jim exists is unclear. Mr Trump has never given his last name. The White House has not responded to a request for comment about who he is or whether he will be on the trip.