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The Guardian - UK

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Golden ticket: why Versailles invite is the ‘real deal’ for Trump

Donald Trump Versailles Gold the Sun King Emmanuel Macron United States

A black-and-white tiled floor leads to three grand doorways in an ornate palace facade beneath a blue sky — The Marble Court that leads to the Hall of Mirrors, one of the sights Trump is likely to see at Versailles. Photograph: Sunshine Pics/Alamy

For a US president who has likened himself to a king and redecorated the Oval Office with golden paint and gold ornaments, it feels like the perfect dinner venue.

Donald Trump said one of the deciding factors in accepting an invitation to dine with Emmanuel Macron at the spectacular, 2,300-room Palace of Versailles was that it was “not gold leaf” but the “real deal”.

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