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The tweet displays a photo of a French soldier passing under obstacles whilst getting hit by heavy rain. It was accompanied with a caption which read: “There is Monday motivation rain, but

its ok to stay motivated.” President Trump had been due to visit the Aisle-Marne cemetery and memorial outside Paris, where more than 2,000 US soldiers are buried. During World War I

American troops were involved in a crucial battle at the nearby Belleau Wood where they suffered nearly 10,000 casualties. The planned visit was dropped by the White House due to rainy

conditions in the vicinity. For safety reasons the President’s Marine One helicopter is not allowed to fly in rain or fog. Twitter users were quick to interpret the official French army

tweet as a slight directed at Trump. One replied: “Trump will stand in the rain for some golf. “So what’s the real reason he won’t honour and show respect to our fallen heroes who fought for

freedom?” General John Kelly, White House Chief of staff, and General Joe Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, attended the Aisle-Marne cemetery in the President's place.

White House press secretary Sarah Sanders released a statement saying that to get Trump to the monument on time would mean closing “substantial portions of the Paris roadways on short

notice”. She claimed the President decided not to “cause that kind of unexpected disruption to the city and its people”. However the decision was sharply criticised from across the political

spectrum. John Kerry, former Secretary of State and Vietnam War veteran, tweeted: “President Donald Trump a no-show because of raindrops? “Those veterans the president didn’t bother to

honour fought in the rain, in the mud, in the snow and many died in trenches for the cause of freedom. “Rain didn’t stop them and it shouldn’t have stopped an American president.”