U.S. President Donald Trump is welcoming French President Emmanuel Macron to the White House on Monday for a three-day state visit, during which the two leaders have scheduled a mix of official meetings and social events.
WATCH: Macron remarks shortly after landing in Washington
Shortly after his arrival, the French leader and his wife Brigitte Macron, Trump and his wife, first lady Melania Trump, are planting a European Sessile Oak sapling on the South Lawn of the White House, a gift from the Macrons.
About a meter and a half tall and between five and 10 years old, the tree comes from Belleau Wood, where more than 9,000 American Marines died in a 1918 World War I battle on French soil as allied forces fought off German troops.
The two couples are then taking a helicopter tour of historic monuments in Washington before heading to Mt. Vernon, the majestic 18th century estate of the first U.S. president, George Washington, that overlooks the Potomac River in nearby Virginia. They are touring Washington’s white, British Palladian-style mansion, one of the country’s most popular tourist sites, before having dinner there.
On Tuesday, Trump and his wife are hosting the official military welcoming ceremony at the White House for the Macrons that will include nearly 500 U.S. troops from all five branches of its armed forces.
The leaders will then hold official talks, with Macron set to try to keep Trump from withdrawing next month from the 2015 international pact restraining Iran’s nuclear weapons development. The United States and France, along with Britain, Germany, Russia and China, negotiated the agreement with Tehran in exchange for lifting sanctions that had hobbled Iran’s economy.
But Trump says the deal is the “worst ever” negotiated by the United States and will eventually allow Iran to build a nuclear weapon. Macron and Trump are also expected to discuss trade issues, the continuing civil war in Syria and other world concerns.
The Trumps are hosting their first state dinner for the Macrons on Tuesday at the White House, with the Washington National Opera set to entertain.
Macron is addressing Congress, in English, on Wednesday, before heading back to Paris.