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French press review 14 November 2016

France marks a day of remembrance for the 130 people killed in the November 13 Paris attacks last year. "Trump" clouds gather over France as it counts down to next Sunday's right wing presidential primaries. And the newly-elected US President sends out a mixed  message as he unveils his right-wing agenda for America.

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We begin with reactions to the day of sorrow held under grey morning skies here in Paris by President Francois Hollande who led commemorations at the sites where jihadists unleashed a bloodbath last November.

On Sunday he and Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo unveiled plaques outside bars and restaurants in the trendy neighbourhood where gunmen sprayed bullets at people enjoying a Friday evening out and then at the Bataclan, the revered Paris concert hall where 90 people were killed by three Islamic State armed group attackers during a rock gig.

L'Humanité pops a question that has been on everyone's lips here in France. "Has anything changes in efforts to make the country safer since the Socialist government decided to declare a State of emergency?

According to the newspaper, the issue has taken a new dimension amid concerns that the exceptional security measures may have lasted longer than necessary and that the government is probably keeping them in place for political reasons.

The Communist newspaper, believes the government has cowed in to the politically-mediatised debate about the deep social exasperation in France which is driving  a disturbing discourse about hatred and division.

L'Humanité accuses some politicians of banking on the entrenchment of fear in the country to boost their standing in the polls ahead of next week's right-wing President primaries.

In its build up to the two-round vote which begins next Sunday, l'Opinion says US President elect Donald Trump will be in every mind as citizens take to the ballot box.

The publication claims that the "Trump phenomenon will keep reminding them that the victory of their favourite candidate will never be guaranteed in advance especially if he comes up against an opponent who preys on insults, divisions and simplistic miraculous solutions to the peoples' problems.

According to l'Opinion, the idea that such a candidate cannot emerge victorious in the process was shattered by last-week's American Presidential elections.

Le Républicain Lorrain observes that in this country the duel pitting polls favourite Alain Juppé and ex-President Nicolas Sarkozy appears to have been imposed by the media from the very unset as the ideal battle.

But is argues that polls probably proved them right as the first of the two expected finalists appeared to have entered the race with the sole ambition to prevent the other from becoming President.

Some of today’s papers read the lips of US President-Elect Donald Trump after he spoke to CBS's "60 Minutes" on Sunday, his first interview since his shock election. 

Le Parisien summarises the his plan to "bring America back to its people" in a few words: "run with the hare and hunt with the hounds" while sticking with his conservative agenda. According to the newspaper, he pledged to name justices to the Supreme Court who are against abortion and for gun rights.

But as the Parisian observes despite his vow to crackdown on immigration, Trump left the door open for millions of so-called hard-working illegal immigrants in the country.  He indicated that his priority was the deportation of up to three million undocumented foreigners with criminal records.

Trump also conceded he would not seek to overturn the legalisation of same-sex marriage in the United States. He also said he was saddened by reports of harassment of Muslims and Hispanics, telling the perpetrators to stop it.

In its reaction to the mixed mesage Trump sent out to Americans, Le Figaro says it is premature to accuse him of betraying his very own ideas. The publication says it is rare to find leaders who implement the campaign promises to the letter, whether they are from the left, the right or populists.

Yet Le Figaro holds that only politicians shouting at the top of their voices end up being heard by voters even though some like the Brexit advocates are much quieter after the vote went through.

Libération is bewildered by Trump's blending of pragmatism with a rabble-rousing edge in his first appointments after he named anti-establishment firebrand Steve Bannon his top strategist and top Republican, Reince Priebus his White House chief of staff.

According to Libé, the two officials despite having nothing in common are certain to enjoy unlimited influence over the inexperienced President Trump in a manner unprecedented in the history of American politics.

As demagogy and the use of race as a political tool gain ground in France this election year, Libération also warns that voters could wake up the morning after the vote in a contagion of what happened in America.

The paper rminds the left-leaning electorate that they have five months to study the manifestoes of the candidates before making up their minds if they have to prevent the triumph of populism and avoid the irreparable happening in France.

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