Updated July 14, 2017 12:07:36

US President Donald Trump praised French first lady Brigitte Macron for being in "such great shape" during his first official visit to Paris, a video on the French Government's Facebook page shows.

Mr Trump, 71, who has come under fire for his comments about women's appearances, and his wife, Melania, 47, met with 39-year-old French President Emmanuel Macron and Mrs Macron, 64, at Hotel des Invalides, where Napoleon Bonaparte and other French war heroes are buried.

As they were saying their good-byes after a tour, Mr Trump turned to Mrs Macron and gestured toward her body.

"You know, you're in such great shape," he said.

Mr Trump then looks at Mr Macron and repeats his comments — "she's in such good physical shape" — before turning back to Mrs Macron and saying, "beautiful".

Social media immediately reacted to the video with many users denouncing Mr Trump's comments as inappropriate.

The White House declined to comment on the exchange.

The couples dined together at a restaurant in the Eiffel Tower on Thursday night.

Photo: The age difference between Brigitte and Emmanuel Macron is identical to that of Donald and Melania Trump. (AP: Christophe Ena)

Mrs Macron was once her husband's high school teacher, and their relationship has drawn international attention because of their significant age difference.

The Macrons' age difference is identical to that of Donald and Melania Trump.

The US President has been denounced for other comments deemed sexist, including criticising the looks of former presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Carly Fiorina, comedian Rosie O'Donnell, media figure Ariana Huffington and models Kim Kardashian and Heidi Klum.

His presidential campaign was rocked last October after the release of a 2005 Access Hollywood tape, in which he talked about grabbing women "by the pussy".

Mr Trump recently attacked MSNBC host Mika Brzezinski on Twitter, calling her "low I.Q. Crazy Mika" and saying she was "bleeding badly from a facelift" at a gathering at his Florida resort around New Year's.

The US President arrived in the French capital on Thursday for a whirlwind, 36-hour visit to meet with Mr Macron and tackle potential solutions to the crisis in Syria and discuss broader counterterrorism strategies before being feted at Bastille Day celebrations.

ABC/wires

Topics: donald-trump, world-politics, government-and-politics, france, united-states

First posted July 14, 2017 08:50:54