For all things Paris, US President Donald Trump’s go-to guy is Jim.
The way Trump tells it — Jim is a friend who loves Paris and used to visit every year. Yet, as Trump travels to the city for the first time as president, it is unlikely that Jim will tag along.
Jim does not go to Paris anymore. Trump has said that is because the city has been infiltrated by foreign extremists.
Whether Jim exists is unclear. Trump has never given his last name.
The White House has not responded to a request for comment about who Jim is or whether he would be on the trip.
Trump repeatedly talked about the enigmatic Jim while on the campaign trail, but his friend did not receive widespread attention until Trump became president.
For Trump, Jim’s story serves as a cautionary tale — a warning that even a place as lovely as Paris can be ruined if leaders are complacent about terrorism.
Jim’s biggest moment in the spotlight was during a high-profile Trump speech in February at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Maryland.
Trump said Jim “loves the City of Lights, he loves Paris. For years, every year during the summer, he would go to Paris. It was automatic, with his wife and his family.”
Trump said he one day asked Jim: “How’s Paris doing?”
“Paris? I don’t go there anymore. Paris is no longer Paris,” Trump quoted Jim as supposedly saying.
Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo responded by tweeting a photograph of herself with Mickey and Minnie Mouse inviting Trump “and his friend Jim” to France to “celebrate the dynamism and the spirit of openness of #Paris.”
Then-French minister of foreign affairs and international development Jean-Marc Ayrault also took to Twitter, saying that 3.5 million US tourists had visited France last year.
The Jim story highlights differences on immigration between Trump and major European leaders, including Trump’s host in Paris, French President Emmanuel Macron.
Trump has put immigration at the core of his anti-terrorism strategy. He proposed a Muslim ban during the campaign and is fighting in the courts to temporarily bar travelers from six Muslim-majority nations, as well as refugees.
Macron is an outspoken critic of discriminatory policies against France’s Muslim population. He favors strong external EU borders and he has also called for a united European policy on immigration so that countries such as Greece are not disproportionately affected by the influx of refugees.
Trump believes European policies fall short of any credible efforts to protect the public. He has vowed to push forward with a plan to build a wall along the US’ southern border with Mexico and he advocates for “extreme vetting” to “keep terrorists out.”
Trump never endorsed Macron’s election opponent, far-right National Front leader Marine Le Pen, but in an interview with the Associated Press, he said that terrorist attacks in France would “probably help” her win since “she’s the strongest on borders and she’s the strongest on what’s been going on in France.”
Trump has criticized several European leaders, accusing them of lax counterterrorism policies.
He lashed out at London Mayor Sadiq Khan after an attack on London Bridge last month.
In a February speech, Trump denounced Sweden’s policies and talked about “what’s happening last night in Sweden.”
Swedish officials sought clarification, because there were no known attacks in their country that night.
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