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Trump will attend the reopening of Notre Dame Cathedral

2024-12-03 18:15:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

President-elect Donald Trump will attend the reopening of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris this weekend, his first trip abroad since the election.

The cathedral reopens on Saturday after more than five years of reconstruction following a massive fire in 2019 that nearly destroyed the historic Paris landmark.

About 50 heads of state and government are expected to participate in the ceremonies that will be held on Saturday and Sunday under high security measures.

Mr. Trump announced that he will be one of them in a post on his social network Truth Social on Monday night.

"I am honored to announce that I will be traveling to Paris, France on Saturday to attend the reopening of the magnificent and historic Notre Dame Cathedral, which has been fully restored after a devastating fire five years ago," he wrote.

"President Emmanuel Macron has done a wonderful job of restoring Notre Dame to its full glory. It will be a very special day for everyone!”

It will be Mr Trump's first trip abroad since winning the November presidential election. He went to Scotland and Ireland in May 2023, when he was running, to visit his company's golf clubs.

Mr Trump was president in 2019 when a massive fire engulfed Notre Dame Cathedral, collapsing its spire and threatening to destroy one of the world's greatest architectural treasures, known for its mesmerizing art in glass panels.

"How terrible to watch the massive fire in Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris," he wrote then on Twitter, today the X platform.

Mr Trump also spoke at the time to Mr Macron and Pope Francis to express his regret and said he had offered them "the help of our great restoration and construction experts".

President-elect Trump and President Macron have had a complicated relationship. During Mr Trump's first term in office, Mr Macron was one of the world leaders best able to manage the US president's unpredictable temper as he made efforts to develop a personal relationship with him. Mr. Macron was the guest of honor at Mr. Trump's first state dinner and the latter traveled to France several times.

But the relationship between them subsequently deteriorated and Mr Macron criticized her over her stance on NATO.

While campaigning for a second term this year, Mr Trump often poked fun at Mr Macron on the campaign trail, mimicking his accent and warning he would impose high tariffs on wine and champagne sent to the US if France tried to tax American companies.

After Mr Trump won the election last month, Mr Macron was among the first world leaders to congratulate him and express a willingness to cooperate.

President Macron and other European leaders are trying to persuade Mr Trump not to withdraw America's support for Ukraine in its fight against Russian aggression.

European leaders are hoping to convince Mr Trump that a Russian victory would be seen as a defeat for the United States and the next president.

President-elect Trump announced over the weekend that he intends to nominate the father of his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, Charles Kushner to serve as ambassador to France.

In December 2020 while still president, Mr. Trump pardoned Mr. Kushner, who had pleaded guilty years earlier to tax evasion and illegal campaign donations.

The reopening of the Notre Dame Cathedral will be accompanied by several days of sophisticated celebrations, including religious services, solemn ceremonies and a concert with world-famous artists./ VOA