French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel lay a wreath of flowers during a ceremony in Compiègne, north of Paris, on Saturday, Nov. 10, 2018. | Michel Euler/AP Photo White House Trump’s rain decision casts dark clouds over his Paris trip 'Those veterans the president didn’t bother to honor fought in the rain, in the mud, in the snow,' John Kerry writes.

PARIS — President Donald Trump’s decision to cancel his visit to an American military cemetery outside of Paris threatened to overshadow his trip here, as government officials, historians and fellow Republicans hammered him for more than 24 hours for that move.

“President@realDonaldTrump a no-show because of raindrops? Those veterans the president didn’t bother to honor fought in the rain, in the mud, in the snow — & many died in trenches for the cause of freedom. Rain didn’t stop them & it shouldn’t have stopped an American president,” wrote former Secretary of State John Kerry, a veteran of the Vietnam War.


The internet lit up Saturday and Sunday with images of other world leaders braving gray skies to lay wreaths, unveil plaques and pay their respects at memorials and cemeteries outside of Paris during a weekend to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the end of World War I.

French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel lay a floral wreath on Saturday afternoon at Compiègne, the site where the agreement that stopped World War I was signed. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau visited the World War I battlefield, Vimy Ridge, where he greeted Canadian veterans.

The White House opted to drop the trip for the president due to rainy weather because the president’s Marine One helicopter cannot fly in rain or fog.

In Trump’s place, the White House sent Gen. John Kelly, Trump’s chief of staff, and Gen. Joe Dunford, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. They visited the Aisne-Marne memorial and cemetery about 60 miles outside of Paris, where 2,289 veterans are buried. A monument at the adjacent site, Belleau Wood, celebrates U.S. Marines who fought there in a pivotal battle in 1918.

In a late Sunday statement, Sanders said driving Trump out to the Aisne-Marne memorial would have required closing "substantial portions of the Paris roadways ... on short notice," and that the president didn't want to "cause that kind of unexpected disruption to the city and its people."

Republican operatives recognized the potential political implications of the president’s move — especially since Trump has tried to cast himself as a strong supporter to military and law enforcement personnel.

“If Dems can’t figure out how to make hay for days out of Trump not visiting military cemetery on anniversary of conclusion of WWI because of a little rain ... while other leaders attend ... they really don’t deserve to win in 2020,” said Tucker Martin, a former adviser to the Republican Governors Association who also ran communications for Gov. Chris Christie’s super PAC in 2016.

“Dem POTUS did this? Would be relentless.”

Later on Sunday afternoon, Trump was slated to deliver remarks at the Suresnes American Cemetery and Memorial just outside of Paris, where the remains of 1,541 American World War I veterans are buried. Suresnes is one of eight American cemeteries throughout Europe. The weather, similar to Saturday, is rainy and overcast.