France’s government has fired back at a flurry of critical tweets by Donald Trump, suggesting the US president lacked “common decency” by launching his broadside on a day when France was mourning victims of the November 2015 terror attacks.

Government spokesman Benjamin Griveaux said on Wednesday: “We were commemorating the assassination of 130 of our compatriots three years ago in Paris and Saint-Denis, and so I will reply in English: ‘Common decency’ would have been appropriate.”

France WWI Centennial
Russian President Vladimir Putin, Brigitte Macron, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel attend a commemoration ceremony for Armistice Day (Benoit Tessier/AP)

Nursing grievances from a weekend visit to France, Mr Trump hit out at France’s President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday over his suggestion for a European defence force, over French tariffs on US wine and even Mr Macron’s approval ratings.

The tweets underscored tensions between the once-friendly leaders and displayed Mr Trump’s irritation over criticism of how he acted in France.