President Trump.
(Image credit: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

President Trump landed in Paris on Thursday, but he probably won't get to see his Francophile pal Jim on the trip. That's because Jim, who "loves Paris," doesn't go to Paris anymore. "Paris is no longer Paris," Jim told the president, a remark Trump recounted to the Conservative Political Action Conference in March.

Here's the thing: Nobody knows who Jim is. Trump has never offered Jim's last name and "the White House has not responded to a request for comment about who Jim is or whether he will be on the trip," The Associated Press reports. A deep-dive into Jim's identity by The New Yorker in March also yielded no results:

Trump doesn't follow any Jims on Twitter. But it's easy to find Jims with whom he's crossed paths. Jim Kelly, formerly of the Buffalo Bills? "No, that would not be Jim Kelly," a representative said. Jim Dolan, the CEO of Cablevision and the chairman of Madison Square Garden, who lent Trump the Rockettes for his inaugural concert? "That's not him," his spokesperson responded. Jim Furyk, the golfer? "Not him," according to his agent. [The New Yorker]

The list of incorrect Jims goes on and on. All we do know from Trump, as AP writes, is that "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."

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

But for now, Jim remains a John Doe. The A.V. Club suggests Jim is Trump's imaginary friend. Another potential Jim, Jim McGreevey, who attended a premiere with Trump in 2006, said he could "only wish" he was the right Jim. "The last time I was in Paris was eight years ago, with my then 7-year-old daughter," McGreevey told The New Yorker. "Vive la France, Jim."

To continue reading this article...
Continue reading this article and get limited website access each month.
Get unlimited website access, exclusive newsletters plus much more.
Cancel or pause at any time.
Already a subscriber to The Week?
Not sure which email you used for your subscription? Contact us
Jeva Lange

Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.