Paris (CNN) President Donald Trump offered a staunch defense of his eldest son Thursday, saying during a carefully worded response here that Donald Trump Jr.'s meeting with a Russian lawyer was a standard session that any political operative would have taken. "My son is a wonderful young man. He took a meeting with a Russian lawyer, not a government lawyer, but a Russian lawyer," he said alongside French President Emmanuel Macron at the ornate Élysée Palace. "It was a short meeting. It was a meeting that went very, very quickly, very fast." According to the emails released by Trump Jr. this week, the lawyer -- Natalia Veselnitskaya -- was described to Trump's son in an email as a "Russian government lawyer" with information that was part of the country's effort to help elect his father.The joint news conference featured Trump and MacronThe President last held a news conference a week ago in Warsaw
_ is here on a pomp-filled celebration of transatlantic ties at a time of anxiety on both continents. Macron is eager to develop close security ties with _, but in other areas he's already emerged as a vocal critic, most notably over Trump's withdrawal from the climate accord that bears the French capital's name. Macron is eager to develop close security ties with Trump, but in other areas he's already emerged as a vocal critic, most notably over _'s withdrawal from the climate accord that bears the French capital's name. For his part, Macron said he remained committed to the climate agreement, and would continue urging _ to reconsider.