Macron leads solemn Armistice Day commemoration, condemning 'old demons' of nationalism

French President Emmanuel Macron led a solemn ceremony in Paris Sunday to commemorate the 100-year anniversary of the end of World War I. Celebrated as Armistice Day in Europe and the broader Veterans Day in the United States, the holiday marks the Nov. 11, 1918 cessation of hostilities in the Great War.

Macron's comments at the Arc de Triomphe before other world leaders, including President Trump, pointedly condemned nationalism as the "exact opposite" and a "betrayal" of patriotism. At a recent rally in Texas, Trump declared himself a nationalist.

"By saying our interests first, who cares about the others, we erase what a nation holds dearest, what gives it life, what makes it great and what is essential: its moral values," Macron said. "I know there are old demons which are coming back to the surface. They are ready to wreak chaos and death," he continued. "History sometimes threatens to take its sinister course once again."

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Trump, meanwhile, came under criticism for cancellation of a planned visit to an American military cemetery outside Paris, possibly due to the weather. Marine One is sometimes grounded because of rain.