President Donald Trump named Neomi Rao to fill Justice Brett Kavanaugh’s vacant seat on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, as he went on the attack against French President Emmanuel Macron.

TRUMP TAPS RAO

In an early announcement, Trump said he was nominating Rao for the seat vacated by Kavanaugh, who was confirmed to the Supreme Court. Rao is currently the administrator of the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, and was a clerk to Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas.

“We were going to announce that tomorrow, and I said, you know, here we are Neomi — we’re never going to do better than this. I thought it was an appropriate place,” Trump said during a Diwali ceremony at the White House. Rao, an Indian American, has been an outspoken advocate of Trump’s push to cut regulations. Trump was criticized on Twitter for leaving Hindus out of a tweet celebrating Diwali, and later sent a separate tweet saying it was an honor to celebrate “the Hindu Festival of Lights.”

TIMES STORY CALLED INACCURATE

After a New York Times report that said North Korea is moving ahead with its missile program at 16 hidden bases, Trump said it was “nothing new.”

“We fully know about the sites being discussed,” Trump said on Twitter. The Times said the existence of the bases contradicts Trump’s assertion that his diplomacy is leading to the elimination of a nuclear and missile program that the North had warned could devastate the U.S.

WINE AND WAR

Trump said Macron had suggested “building its own army to protect Europe against the U.S., China and Russia.” Yet Macron, in an interview with a French radio station, had called for a “true European army” partly so the continent wouldn’t have to rely on the U.S. for defense. As the Washington Post pointed out, Macron did say in another part of the interview that Europe must protect itself “with respect to China, Russia and even the United States.” But in that portion of the radio interview, the French president was referring to cybersecurity matters and fading multilateralism, rather than the military.

French tariffs on American wine are “not fair” and “must change!” tweeted the president, who opened a winery in Virginia in 2011. In other Twitter messages, Trump knocked Macron’s 26% approval rating and said, “MAKE FRANCE GREAT AGAIN!”

Also see:In jab at Trump, Macron denounces nationalism as ‘betrayal of patriotism.’

CEMETERY TRIP

In a separate tweet, Trump said the Secret Service overruled his suggestion to visit a cemetery over the weekend in Paris.

Trump was criticized after the White House announced the trip to an American cemetery and memorial near Paris was canceled due to weather including rain and fog. “When the helicopter couldn’t fly to the first cemetery in France because of almost zero visibility, I suggested driving,” Trump said. “Secret Service said NO, too far from airport & big Paris shutdown.”