Trump touts ties amid Paris pomp

Military might

French President Emmanuel Macron (R) shakes hands US President Donald Trump before the traditional Bastille Day military parade on the Champs-Elysees in Paris, France, July 14, 2017. [Photo/Agencies]

Macron arrived standing in a military jeep and surrounded by cavalry - repeating a scene from his inauguration two months ago and reinforcing the message that he heads an important military power.

The scene also serves as a reminder of a fierce row that erupted this week between Macron and his armed-forces chief, General Pierre de Villers, over proposed budget cuts for the defense ministry.

Trump arrived with his wife Melania in a black sedan.

At the parade, the two heads of state sat together in a stand applauding, pointing and touching each other on the arm as military aircraft flew overhead. Trump saluted as military personnel - some in World War I battledress - filed past with the Arc de Triomphe in the background.

For France, this year's Bastille Day has an additional poignancy as the first anniversary of one of the deadliest extremist militant attacks of the past few years.

After the parade, his first as president, Macron will head for the Mediterranean city of Nice, where he will join a commemoration for the 86 people who died when a Tunisian man drove a truck at a crowd on the waterfront a year ago.

Reuters - Afp - Ap