Trump attends Notre Dame opening in Paris

Trump attends Notre Dame opening in Paris

The elected president Donald Trump plans to visit Paris later this week to attend the reopening of Notre-Dame Cathedral on December 7th. This will be his first trip abroad since being elected to a second term in November.

Strengthen relations with Macron

Trump's team has been in talks with French President Emmanuel Macron's office regarding the visit for days. The US president-elect has been invited by the French government to attend the reopening ceremony, sources familiar with the plans told CNN.

“President Emmanuel Macron has done an outstanding job ensuring that Notre Dame is restored to its full glory – and more,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform on Monday. “It will be a very special day for everyone!”

A special relationship

Trump and Macron worked closely together during Trump's first term, with their relationship often described as something of a "bromance," although they were sometimes openly hostile to each other. Macron was the first foreign leader to congratulate Trump after he became the second U.S. president to win non-consecutive terms. “Congratulations, President @realDonaldTrump. Ready to work together again like we did the previous four years. With your beliefs and mine. With respect and ambition. For more peace and prosperity,” he wrote on X. Later that evening, Trump and Macron had a phone call, according to Macron’s office.

Fascination for Notre Dame

After the invitation was received, Trump told his team that he wanted to attend the event because of his long-standing fascination with Notre Dame, which was badly damaged by a fire in 2019. At the time, Trump had been watching footage of the burning building on Air Force One and commented on social media: "It's so terrible to watch the massive fire at Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris. Maybe flying water bombers could be used to put it out. You have to act quickly!"

Security and high-profile guests

The reopening ceremony, which takes place this weekend, is expected to attract around 50 heads of state and government, Paris police chief Laurent Nunez said in an interview with the Associated Press.

Future-oriented meetings

How CNN recently reported, Macron plans to invite Trump and Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, who is also slated for a role in his government, to a summit on artificial intelligence in Paris in early February.

Trump's visit to Paris comes just days after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau traveled to Florida to have dinner with him at Mar-a-Lago. This was the first face-to-face meeting of a G7 leader with Trump since Election Day.

This story has been updated with additional details.