The Latest on Trump’s D-Day Commemorations in France

(Bloomberg) -- Donald Trump and French President Emmanuel Macron spoke to reporters after attending D-Day commemorations in northern France. They reaffirmed the importance of their alliance and again paid tribute to veterans who stormed the beaches of Normandy 75 years ago.

Time stamps are in local time.

Key Developments:

• Trump reiterated that the U.S. could impose tariffs on another $300 billion of Chinese goods unless there’s a trade deal
• "Something pretty dramatic" could happen in talks with Mexico
• President underlined the "unbreakable bond" with U.S. allies in speech
• In his speech, Macron paid tribute to the U.S, and also NATO and the European Union

Trump Says He, Macron Have No Differences on Iran (15:20 p.m.)

"I don’t think the president wants to see nuclear weapons and neither do I,” Donald Trump tells reporters, sitting next to French President Emanuel Macron.

"If they want to talk that’s fine," Trump said of Iran.

Macron said, "we do share the same objectives on Iran" and "we want to be sure they don’t get nuclear weapon." He added: "we need to open a new negotiation" with Iran.

Trump Says Tariffs Decision to Come in 2 Weeks (15:00 p.m.)

Taking a question on China, Trump said the U.S. will likely decide on next steps regarding an additional $325 billion in tariffs on Chinese imports over the next two weeks. He said the decision could happen sometime around the upcoming G-20 meeting.

Macron and Trump Met For Talks (2:55 p.m.)

The two leaders spoke to reporters in a government office in Caen. The French president paid tribute again to the U.S.’s D-Day veterans, and then made the link to their countries’ continued military cooperation in West Africa, Iraq and Syria.

“It’s all part of our international actions to preserve peace,” Macron said. Winking at Trump, he added “the values we share go beyond us.”

Macron said they’ll discuss “zones of tension” such as Iran and Middle East. “What’s important is to have a common view. We overcame the yoke of Nazism because all the allied armies came tomorrow around something that is key to American and French values, the love of liberty. When liberty and democracy are in danger, we come together.”

Trump and Macron Linger at Ceremony’s End (1:35 p.m.)

When the ceremony was over, Trump and Macron walked with their wives from the cemetery down to a bluff overlooking the beach, where they watched cannons fire and planes --both vintage and modern -- fly overhead.

The two men have long bonded over French-U.S. military history and Macron initially sought to use memories of the the world’s oldest military alliance as a stepping stone to curtail the U.S. president’s isolationist tendencies. But the relationship dimmed over disagreements on issues like climate change, arms control and the Iran deal.

There was no sign of rancor, however, as Macron and Trump paid tribute to veterans and the fallen -- though Macron pleaded in his speech that the U.S. live up to the ideals of the Normandy landings and re-engage with its allies.

Trump Reaffirmed Importance of Ties With Europe (12:50 p.m.)

Donald Trump was unequivocal in reaffirming the importance of the U.S. alliance with Europe, without his usual complaints that other NATO countries don’t spend enough on their own militaries.

“Our cherished alliance was forged in the heat of battle, tested in the trials of war and proved in the blessings of peace,” he said. “Americans are drawn to this place as though it were part of our very soul.”

Trump Praises D-Day Veterans (12:48 p.m.)

The President saluted the more than 9,000 American soldiers buried at Omaha Beach and about 60 American veterans who made the trip for the commemoration, in a speech tinged with nationalism.

He paused several times to recognize individual veterans in the crowd and hugged one man who he said was the last surviving member of his unit.

“Your spirit -- brave, unyielding and true -- will never die," Trump said. "The blood that they spilled, the tears that they shed, the lives that they gave, the sacrifice that they made, did not just win a battle, it did not just win a war. Those who fought here won a future for our nation.”

Veterans who won the D-Day battle, Trump said, “were no less extraordinary in peace.”

“They built families, they built industries, they built a national culture that inspired the entire world,” he said.

“Today, America is stronger than ever,” he said.

Macron Honors U.S. Veterans With Top French Award (12:30 p.m.)

At the end of his speech, Emmanuel Macron called out the names of five U.S. veterans and made then “Knights of the Legion of Honor,” one of France’s top awards.

In his speech, Macron went out of his way to name nations beyond the main U.S., British and Canadian forces. He cited Dutch airmen, Polish tank soldiers, French commandos and civilian resisters, as well as Norwegian, Australian, New Zealand and Greek sailors.

“We should never cease to keep alive the alliance of free nations,” Macron said. “It’s what the U.S. did in creating in NATO, what did the leaders of this continent did in creating the European Union.”

Macron Pays Tribute to Friendship With U.S. (11:15 a.m.)

Emmanuel Macron also praised the values of the “true” America.

“America is never as great as when it fights for the liberty of others and when it holds these values to its heart,” Macron said. “We must show ourselves worthy of the heritage of peace and worthy of the promise of Normandy.”

Addressing D-Day soldiers, he said, in English: "On behalf of my nation, I just want to say thank you."

Earlier, Trump and Macron shook hands with dozens of U.S. World War II veterans as they crossed the stage set up at the central colonnade of the cemetery.

‘Our Bond Is Unbreakable,’ Trump Will Tell Allies (10:20 a.m.)

Donald Trump is headed for Normandy American Cemetery to join world leaders for a ceremony marking 75 years since the Normandy landings. He’ll tell allies that they are gathered "on Freedom’s Altar” and that “our cherished alliance was forged in the heat of battle, tested in the trials of war, and proven in the blessings of peace,” according to White House excerpts of the speech.

Trump Aims to Keep The Pressure on China (9:52 a.m.)

President Trump spoke to reporters briefly before boarding Air Force One at Shannon airport in Ireland and touted progress in negotiations with Mexico as well as the pressure he’s putting on China.

He reiterated that the U.S. is prepared to place tariffs on another $300 billion of imports from China if necessary and asserted that Beijing "wants to make a deal badly."

"A lot of interesting things are happening," he added.

On Mexico, he said "something pretty dramatic could happen" in the coming days.

Earlier:

Trump Leaves Irish Puzzled With Post-Brexit Border Promise
Merkel Warns on Threat to Global Peace as Trump Tours Europe
Trump Wades Into U.K. Politics as May Highlights Rifts With U.S.
Trump to Meet Varadkar at Home of Duty-Free Shops, Irish Coffee
Boris Johnson Warns Tories of ‘Extinction’ If Brexit Is Delayed

--With assistance from Thomas Penny, Chelsea Mes, Kasia Klimasinska and Stuart Biggs.

To contact the reporters on this story: Margaret Talev in Washington at mtalev@bloomberg.net;Gregory Viscusi in Paris at gviscusi@bloomberg.net;Alex Wayne in Washington at awayne3@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Ben Sills at bsills@bloomberg.net

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