NEW YORK (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump will attend the reopening celebration for Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris this weekend, his first international journey because the election.
The cathedral is about to reopen Saturday after greater than 5 years of reconstruction following a devastating fireplace in 2019 that engulfed and practically destroyed the hovering Paris landmark. The ceremonies being held Saturday and Sunday can be high-security affairs, with about 50 heads of state and authorities anticipated to attend.
Trump introduced that he can be amongst them in a put up on his Truth Social web site Monday night.
“It is an honor to announce that I can be touring to Paris, France, on Saturday to attend the re-opening of the Magnificent and Historic Notre Dame Cathedral, which has been totally restored after a devastating fireplace 5 years in the past,” he wrote. “President Emmanuel Macron has accomplished an exquisite job making certain that Notre Dame has been restored to its full stage of glory, and much more so. It can be a really special occasion for all!”
The journey can be Trump’s first overseas since he gained November’s presidential election. He traveled to Scotland and Ireland in May 2023, as a candidate, to go to his native golf programs.
Trump was president in 2019 when an enormous fireplace engulfed Notre Dame, collapsing its spire and threatening to destroy one of many world’s best architectural treasures, identified for its mesmerizing stained glass.
Trump watched the inferno in horror, together with the remainder of the world.
“So horrible to look at the huge fireplace at Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris,” he wrote on what was then named Twitter, providing his recommendation to town.
“Perhaps flying water tankers may very well be used to place it out. Must act rapidly!” he wrote.
French officers appeared to reply shortly after, nothing that “All means” have been getting used to extinguish the flames, “apart from water-bombing aircrafts which, if used, might result in the collapse of the complete construction of the cathedral.”
Trump additionally spoke with Macron and Pope Francis on the time to supply his condolences and mentioned he had supplied them “the assistance of our nice consultants on renovation and development.”
Trump and Macron have had a sophisticated relationship.
During Trump’s first time period in workplace, Macron proved to be among the many world leaders most adept at managing the American president’s whims as he tried to develop a private connection inbuilt no small half on flattery.
Macron was the visitor of honor at Trump’s first state dinner and Trump traveled to France a number of occasions. But the connection soured as Trump’s time period progressed and Macron criticized him for questioning the necessity for NATO and elevating doubts about America’s dedication to the mutual-defense pact.
As he ran for a second time period this yr, Trump typically mocked Macron on the marketing campaign path, imitating his accent and threatening to impose steep tariffs on wine and champagne bottles shipped to the U.S. if France tried to tax American firms.
After Trump gained one other time period final month, Macron rushed to win favor with the president-elect. He was among the many first world leaders to congratulate Trump — even earlier than The Associated Press known as the race in his favor — and beat UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer to the punch in delivering a congratulatory telephone name.
“Congratulations, President @actualDonaldTrump,” Macron posted on X early on Nov 6. “Ready to work collectively as we did for 4 years. With your convictions and mine. With respect and ambition. For extra peace and prosperity.”
Macron and different European leaders try to influence Trump to not abandon America’s help for Ukraine in its struggle in opposition to Russia’s practically three-year invasion. European leaders hope to persuade Trump {that a} victory by Russia could be considered as a defeat for the U.S. — and for the incoming president, by extension — hoping to promote him on the necessity to pursue an finish to the conflict extra favorable to Kyiv than he would possibly in any other case search.
Trump over the weekend introduced that he intends to appoint actual property developer Charles Kushner, the daddy of his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, to function ambassador to France. The elder Kushner was pardoned by Trump in December 2020 after pleading responsible years earlier to tax evasion and making unlawful marketing campaign donations.
The reopening of Notre Dame can be an elaborate, multi-day celebration, starting Saturday.
Paris Archbishop Laurent Ulrich will preside at a reopening service that afternoon, banging on Notre Dame’s shuttered doorways along with his workers to reopen them, based on the cathedral’s web site.
The archbishop may also symbolically reawaken Notre Dame’s thunderous grand organ. The fireplace that melted the cathedral’s lead roofing coated the large instrument in poisonous mud. Its 8,000 pipes have been painstakingly disassembled, cleaned and retuned.
Macron will attend and tackle the VIP friends.
After the service, opera singers Pretty Yende, from South Africa, and Julie Fuchs, from France; Chinese pianist Lang Lang; Paris-born cellist Yo-Yo Ma; Benin-born singer Angelique Kidjo; Lebanese singer Hiba Tawaji and others will carry out at a live performance Saturday night, based on the present’s broadcaster, France Télévisions.
On Sunday morning, the Paris archbishop will lead an inaugural Mass and consecration of the brand new altar.
Nearly 170 bishops from France and different international locations will be part of the celebration, together with monks from all 106 parishes within the Paris diocese. The Mass can be adopted by a “fraternal buffet” for the needy.
Ile de la Cité, the place the cathedral sits in the course of the River Seine, can be blocked off to vacationers for the occasions. A public viewing space with room for 40,000 spectators can be arrange alongside the Seine’s southern financial institution.
___ Associated Press author Zeke Miller contributed to this report from Washington.
