Trump Meets With World Leaders In First Overseas Trip Since Election Win
President-elect Donald Trump shook hands with French President Emmanuel Macron and a number of other world leaders when he traveled to Paris for the re-opening of the Notre Dame Cathedral on Saturday.
Trump had previously announced that he would be traveling to Paris for the re-opening, which comes a little over five years after the iconic cathedral was gutted by a devastating fire. Teams of engineers, architects and craftsmen worked along the clock to get the church ready for the ambitious five-year deadline set by the French president, who delivered a national address ahead of the re-opening ceremony.
The president-elect first met with Macron at the Élysée Presidential Palace in Paris. Trump described the meeting as a “great honor” in a Truth Social post alongside a video of the two shaking hands. Macron and Trump were soon joined by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who shook hands with Trump and said it is “nice to see you again.”
“It’s a great honor for French people to welcome you five years later,” Macron said of Trump. “And you were, at that time, president for the first time. And I remember the solidarity and your immediate action. So, welcome back again. We are very happy to have you here.”
Trump replied by again describing the invitation as a “great honor.”
“And we have a great relationship, as everyone knows. We’ve accomplished a-lot together. And the people of France are spectacular. I guess it’s one of our largest groups in the United States, French people. And we respect them and we love them. They’re talented people, extremely energetic people, as you know very well. And it’s an honor to be here,” the president-elect said.
Trump shook hands with a number of additional world leaders at the cathedral .Trump is expected to meet with Prince William, who is attending the event in place of his father, King Charles III, after the ceremony, according to a statement from Kensington Palace.
President Biden did not travel to France for the event, though First Lady Jill Biden was in attendance.
The trip marks the first time Trump has met with world leaders outside the United States since his November election win. Several notable figures have travelled to the president’s Mar-A-Lago estate for in-person meetings, however, including NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, who urged the president-elect to continue U.S. support of Ukraine.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau also made his way to Florida last week after Trump threatened to impose hefty tariffs on Canadian goods if Trudeau does not curtail illegal immigration across the U.S. border.
