"Nationalism is a betrayal of patriotism"
William Harris Critics of US President Trump jumped on him for the cancellation of a planned trip to the Aisne-Marne American Cemetery, 50 miles outside Paris, on Saturday. The White House cited the rain, which sometimes grounds the President's Marine One helicopter.
The President's chief of staff, John Kelly, and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Joe Dunford traveled to the cemetery to lay a wreath instead.
Trump will visit another American cemetery on Sunday, this one closer to Paris, to lay a wreath and deliver his own speech.
Nicholas Soames, the Conservative MP and grandson of Winston Churchill, called Trump "pathetic" in a tweet.
David Frum, who served as a speechwriter to former US President George W. Bush, and often takes aim at the President, also criticized Trump in a series of tweets.
"It's incredible that a president would travel to France for this significant anniversary -- and then remain in his hotel room watching TV rather than pay in person his respects to the Americans who gave their lives in France for the victory gained 100 years ago tomorrow," wrote Frum.
Ben Rhodes, who served as the deputy national security adviser under former President Barack Obama, and another frequent Trump critic, claimed the President was sitting in his hotel "instead of honoring those who fought and died in America," in a tweet.
John Kerry, former US Secretary of State and a Vietnam war veteran, also questioned why Trump failed to travel to the cemetery.