Paris mayor fires back at Trump on unfavorable comments

Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo said Friday that the French capital remains dynamic and open despite high terror alert, striking back at U.S. President Donald Trump who said "Paris is no longer Paris".

"To Donald Trump and his friend Jim, in the Eiffel Tower, we celebrate the dynamism and the spirit of openness of Paris with Mickey and Minnie," Hidalgo tweeted.

She also uploaded a photo showing she posed with Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse, main characters of American cartoons and the official mascot of Walt Disney, in a ceremony at the Eiffel Tower to launch a new tourism campaign.

"In the first quarter of 2017, reservations by American tourists were up by 30 percent compared to 2016," she said in another tweet.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault also hit back at Trump by tweeting, "3.5 million American tourists visited France in 2016, they will be always welcome."

Speaking at the annual Conservative Political Action Conference at National Harbor in Maryland on Friday, Trump told a story of a friend named "Jim" -- "a very, very substantial guy" -- who was once a regular visitor to the French capital.

"I don't go there anymore. Paris is no longer Paris," Trump quoted Jim as saying.

Trump made the comments to endorse his claim that "national security begins with border security" and defend his order to ban travellers from some Muslims from entering the United States for security reasons.

Paris has been stunned by a series of terrorist attacks which left 130 victims on Nov. 2015. Other assaults targeting several symbolic site in the vibrant city have been foiled. Endit