White House: Macron invited to be first state visit under Trump

Washington (dpa) - US President Donald Trump has invited French President Emmanuel Macron for a state visit - the first world leader to be extended the offer during Trump‘s presidency.White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders confirmed the visit on Wednesday but said a date has not been set. A state visit typically includes a 21-gun salute, a formal state banquet and other events.Macron invited Trump to attend Bastille Day ceremonies in July last year. The French president stood beside Trump on the viewing stand for a military parade marking the 100th anniversary of the US entry into World War I alongside France.Macron, a political upstart who founded a centrist political movement in 2016 and won election the following year, is believed to share a close connection with the US president. Trump called it a "great honour" to meet with him in September in New York on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly.Trump has not shown enthusiasm for holding state visits. He dismissed them during the presidential campaign, particularly president Barack Obama‘s invitation to Chinese President Xi Jinping in 2915."I would not be throwing (Xi) a dinner," Trump said at the time. "I would get him a McDonald‘s hamburger and say we‘ve got to get down to work."