The French army poked fun at the President of the United States after he missed a memorial service marking the 100th anniversary of the end of World War I.
The army took the time on Monday to say how they were unaffected by rain using a picture of its soldiers crawling under barbed wire in heavy rain with the hashtag #MondayMotivation.
Taking a light-hearted dig at the president, the tweet ridiculed his failure to attend the memorial service in France which saw French President Emmanuel Macron and other world leaders pay their respects.
The French army poked fun at President Donald Trump after he missed a memorial service marking the 100th anniversary of the end of World War I in France. Pictured: French President Emmanuel Macron greets Trump upon his arrival at the Elysee Palace in Paris
The translated french tweet pictures a soldier crawling under barbed wire and reads: ‘There is rain, but it does not matter… We remain motivated’
A translation of the tweet reads: ‘There is rain, but it does not matter… We remain motivated.’
Trump drew widespread criticism over the weekend for not attending a scheduled wreath-laying event at the Ainse-Marne American Cemetery and Memorial in Belleau, France.
The cemetery contains nearly 2,300 graves for soldiers who fought in the surrounding areas in 1918.
Amid the increasing criticism, White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders noted that the weather had caused visibility issues and the trip was ‘canceled due to scheduling and logistical difficulties caused by the weather’.
She later added that the presidential motorcade would have disrupted Paris’s traffic and added: ‘President Trump did not want to cause that kind of unexpected disruption to the city and its people.’
US President Donald Trump pictured visiting the American Cemetery of Suresnes, outside Paris, on November 11 as part of Veterans Day and the commemorations marking the 100th anniversary of the armistice, ending World War I
He drew widespread criticism over the weekend for not attending a scheduled wreath-laying event at the Ainse-Marne American Cemetery and Memorial in Belleau, France
Canadian President Justin Trudeau made reference to the rain in his memorial speech saying: ‘As we sit here in the rain, thinking how uncomfortable we must be these minutes as our suits get wet and our hair gets wet and our shoes get wet, I think it’s all the more fitting that we remember on that day, in Dieppe, the rain wasn’t rain, it was bullets.’
Former presidential staffers and politicians also shared their disbelief at the president’s cancellation to the service.
The president received criticism on Twitter for his inability to attend the service with Ben Rhodes, deputy national security adviser under Barack Obama writing on Twitter: ‘I helped plan all of President Obama’s trips for 8 years. There is always a rain option. Always’
British defence minister Tobias Ellwood, wrote on Twitter: ‘As a duel National I’m sorry to read this.
‘Rain was a regular feature on the Western Front. Thankfully it did not prevent our brave heroes from doing their job.’
Ben Rhodes, deputy national security adviser under Barack Obama wrote on Twitter: ‘I helped plan all of President Obama’s trips for 8 years. There is always a rain option. Always.’