French President Emmanuel Macron has invited US President-elect Donald Trump for the grand reopening of the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris on December 8.
The move has been described as a “diplomatic coup” for Macron by the French media, with US publications having described it as further evidence that outgoing US President Joe Biden’s worldwide influence was now in terminal decline.
Writing on his own social media platform Truth Social, Trump confirmed that he had accepted an invitation from Macron to attend the reopening of the cathedral, which was largely damaged by fire in 2019.
“It is an honour to announce that I will be travelling to Paris, France, on Saturday to attend the re-opening of the magnificent and historic Notre Dame Cathedral, which has been fully restored after a devastating fire five years ago,” Trump said on December 2.
“President Emmanuel Macron has done a wonderful job ensuring that Notre Dame has been restored to its full level of glory, and even more so.”
“It will be a very special day for all!” Trump added.
Our #interview with political consultant and writer @CraigWilly06 on how the EU will deal with the incoming #Trump administration is now on YouTube.
Watch the full episode 👉🏽 https://t.co/Ron45YrcqE #policy pic.twitter.com/nNCs3LrtVM
— Brussels Signal (@brusselssignal) November 27, 2024
According to Le Monde, Trump also spoke on the telephone with Macron on November 30 about the trip, with the leaders reportedly promising to hold bilateral talks on the side lines of the event.
The publication speculated that Trump’s attendance may prompt Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky also to attend the reopening.
Such a trip could allow Zelensky to have an in-person conversation with the future US commander-in-chief, who has expressed scepticism about continuing US support for Kyiv’s defensive war efforts against Russia.
Trump’s visit to the Paris will also mark his first trip abroad since regaining the White House in early November. His attendance has been seen as a much-needed victory for Macron amid the domestic chaos currently surrounding his coalition government in parliament.
Despite officially still being the US President, Biden is not set to make an appearance in Paris on December 8, with his wife and First Lady, Jill, going instead.
Liberal US news channel CNN linked Biden’s decision not to attend to his move on December 2 to pardon his son, Hunter, for any and all the crimes committed over a decade long period. That move has earned consternation from both the Democrat and Republican benches.
“Trump’s starring role in Paris will also mark a poignant contrast with Joe Biden’s increasingly ignominious long goodbye. The President came under fierce criticism Monday, even from within his own party, after he pardoned his son Hunter, undercutting a core principle of his term — that everyone is equal before the law,” CNN wrote on December 3.
“The trip promises all that the President-elect most appreciates. A chance to seize the spotlight; the adulation of being an honoured guest; and the fanfare of being part of a unique spectacle likely to attract millions of eyeballs across the globe,” it added.
Eight days before the reopening of Notre Dame de Paris to the public, French President Emmanuel Macron has visited the restored cathedral. https://t.co/ISWVA1qMoM
— Brussels Signal (@brusselssignal) November 29, 2024
