Macron hosted Trump at the Palace of Versailles

(Patria) - French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte hosted US President Donald Trump at the Palace of Versailles, once the lavish residence of Louis XIV, the Sun King, on Wednesday as part of efforts to improve transatlantic relations, Reuters reported.

Macron and his wife greeted Trump on the palace steps, before the three posed for photographs. "It's beautiful," Trump said.

The US president earlier said he accepted Macron's invitation to dinner at Versailles, near Paris, because he is a "fan of beautiful places."

"Versailles is not gold leaf. Versailles is the real thing," Trump said, speaking on Tuesday at the G7 summit in Evian-les-Bains, near Switzerland.

He reiterated his enthusiasm for the invitation earlier on Wednesday, saying: "Tonight I look forward to a very special evening with President Macron and his fantastic wife at the Palace of Versailles. ... it is a beautiful palace, perhaps the most beautiful of all."

Trump's relations with his European counterparts have been strained in recent years over issues ranging from tariffs to the war with Iran or Ukraine. But both sides said the G7 summit went well, especially with a joint statement agreed on Ukraine.

The Palace of Versailles was originally conceived as a dazzling setting for projecting the power and grandeur of the French monarchy, especially under Louis XIV, who oversaw its construction and moved his court there at the end of the seventeenth century. Centuries later, France is now a republic, and French presidents still use Versailles to impress.

"In any relationship of leaders, whether we are talking about (Chinese President) Xi (Jinping), (Russian President Vladimir) Putin or Macron, you want to be on the good side of this American president," said Jeffrey Hawkins, a former US diplomat and expert on Franco-American relations.

"And the way to do that is to host him, to welcome him, in a way where he feels well received, where he feels important and respected."