President-elect Donald Trump and President of France Emmanuel Macron shared One handshake outside the Élysée Palace and on the red carpet on Saturday ahead of the nationwide reopening celebration Notre Dame Cathedral. This is the pair’s first in-person meeting since Trump won last month and the latest episode in two world leaders’ coilon-off-again diplomatic relations.
World leaders are flocking to Paris to pay tribute to the repair of the Cathedral, which suffered significant damage after a fire broke out in April 2019—as people watched screen from everywhere in the world. In total, nearly $900 million was raised through donations from 340,000 donors in 150 countries. At the end of November, Macron went sightseeing Notre Dame, thank you restoration workers. Their five-year efforts cost more than $700 million. According to Rebuilding Notre Dame de Paris, the remaining donation money will likely be used to “benefit the church” in other ways — although the exact plans remain unclear.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy and of England Prince Williamalong with other top leaders, are also in Paris this weekend. Chairperson Joe Biden was invited but will not attend due to scheduling conflicts, according to the White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre. First Lady Jill Biden will represent the United States.
Before the Notre Dame event, Trump is scheduled to meet with Macron and Prince William, who will also meet with Biden, according to for the Associated Press and the British royal palace. Macron, Zelenskyy and Trump sat down together when they arrived in Paris and set out to take photos – although the extent of plans to meet and discuss the ongoing war in Ukraine remains unclear.
Earlier this week, a top Zelenskyy aide, Andriy Yermakmet with key members of Trump’s team during the two-day trip. The president-elect has swear ending the war in Ukraine quickly, but it remains unclear how, regarding those in Kiev.
After Trump’s victory, Macron was the first foreign leader to congratulate him. The French President’s recent efforts to appear friendly with Trump come after a long and complicated relationship between the two men.
Like AP reported before Saturday’s meeting, “Macron was the guest of honor at Trump’s first state dinner, and Trump has been to France several times. But the relationship suffered after Macron criticized Trump for questioning the need for NATO and raising doubts about America’s commitment to the mutual defense pact. On the campaign trail, Trump mocked Macron’s rhetoric and claimed that his incoming administration would impose high tariffs on bottles of wine and champagne from France if they tried to tax them. American companies.
Foreshadowing the diplomatic relationship between France and the United States is Charles Kushner, Newly appointed ambassador. Kushner, father of Jared Kushner and stepfather of Ivanka Trumppardoned by Trump after he was convicted and imprisoned in 2005 after pleading guilty to 16 federal counts of filing false tax returns, one count of making false statements to the Federal Election Commission, and one count of retaliating against a cooperating witness . (He was sentenced to two years in prison, but was released earlier in 2006.)
In 2019, Trump, then president, offered some advice to first responders when the more than 800-year-old structure caught fire.
“It was terrible to see the big fire in Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris,” he said. wrote on X, which was still called Twitter at the time. “Perhaps we could use flying water tankers to extinguish it. Must act quickly!”
About two hours later, French officials sent out a post appearing to respond to Trump: “Hundreds of firefighters of the Paris Fire Brigade are doing everything possible to control the terrible #NotreDame fire.”
“All means are being used,” the official account of the French Directorate for Civil Security and Crisis Management reads, “except water bombers, which if used could lead to collapse. collapse of the entire structure of the church”.
