WASHINGTON, April 23, 2018 (Reuters) - US President Donald Trump welcomes French President Emmanuel Macron to the White House on Monday to kick off a three-day state visit expected to be dominated by US-European differences on the Iran nuclear deal and trade. It will be Trump's first hosting of a state visit since he took power in January 2017. The pair will get a sense of their two countries' shared history during an evening meal on Monday night at Mount Vernon, the home of George Washington, the first US president and Revolutionary War commander whose alliance with France was critical to victory over the British. The major work between them will be done on Tuesday during White House meetings and a joint news conference. On Wednesday, President Macron will address a Joint Session of Congress, marking the anniversary of the day that French General Charles de Gaulle addressed the Joint Session of Congress, April 25, 1960. Trump and Macron began their improbable friendship a year ago in Belgium with a jaw-clenching handshake. While other European leaders have kept a certain distance from Trump, Macron has worked hard to remain close to the US president and the two leaders speak frequently by phone. Macron is on something of a rescue mission for the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), which Trump has vowed to scrap unless European allies strengthen it by mid-May. The deal reached between Iran, the United States and five other world powers put curbs on Iran's nuclear programme in exchange for sanctions relief.
