Trump in Paris for reopening of Notre Dame Cathedral, meets with Macron and Zelenskyy
President-elect Donald Trump received a warm welcome with a full dose of presidential pomp from French President Emmanuel Macron on Saturday and they held an impromptu meeting with Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelenskyy on a day that mixed pageantry with attention to pressing global problems.
Trump, on his first international trip since he was re-elected to the White House, traveled to France to join world leaders and dignitaries to celebrate the renovation and reopening of Notre Dame Cathedral five years after a devastating fire destroyed the landmark.
Trump's visit to France also comes as Macron and other European leaders are trying to cultivate the president-elect's favor and persuade him to maintain support for Ukraine in its defense against Russia's three-year invasion.
Trump touched down at Paris' Orly Airport on Saturday morning. More than 20 French government security agents helped ensure his safety alongside the Secret Service, according to French national police. Security is tighter than usual outside the U.S. Embassy and other sites around Paris for the grandiose reopening.
As Trump arrived at the Elysee Palace, the official residence of the French president, Macron went out of his way to project an image of close ties, posing for multiple handshakes interspersed with plenty of back-patting. Trump said it was "a great honor" and talked about the "great relationship" they have had.
The grand red carpet arrival is the same protocol the French use to welcome sitting American presidents. It was yet another sign of how eager both Macron and other European leaders are to win Trump's favor and placate him even before he takes office.
Before they went inside, Trump said, "It certainly seems like the world is, going a little crazy right now. And we'll be talking about that."
Zelenskyy arrived at the palace about 45 minutes after Trump and greeted him inside the cathedral.
Macron had planned to meet with Zelenskyy, and the French president's office said the three-way meeting was proposed by Macron and arranged shortly before Trump's arrival. Trump has pledged to end the war in Ukraine swiftly but has not specified how, raising concerns in Kyiv about what terms may be laid out for any future negotiations.
Details of the tri-lateral meeting were not immediately available.
Trump was given prime seating at the service right between them — a better location than first lady Jill Biden, who sat on Brigitte Macron's other side — and many current heads of government and state.
Earlier this week, Trump said he had accepted an invitation from Macron, saying the French president had done "a wonderful job ensuring that Notre Dame has been restored to its full level of glory, and even more so. It will be a very special day for all!"
Notre Dame was damaged in a fire that raged for 12 hours on April 15, 2019, nearly destroying the iconic 1,200-year-old church. Although experts said at the time that the restoration could take up to 40 years, Macron vowed to rebuild in five years.
"The decision to rebuild Notre Dame was about our capacity to save, restore, sometimes reinvent what we are by preserving where we come from," Macron told 60 Minutes. "This is a message of achievement."
Macron, who has had an up-and-down relationship with Trump, has made a point of cultivating a relationship with the president-elect since he defeated Vice President Kamala Harris last month. But his office nonetheless played down the significance of the invitation, saying that other politicians who do not currently hold office had been invited as well.
President Biden was invited as well but will not attend. White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre cited a scheduling conflict and said that Jill Biden will instead represent the U.S.
Trump and the U.S. first lady last encountered one another shortly after the election, when he visited the White House for the traditional meeting between outgoing and incoming presidents.
Inside Notre Dame, Trump also greeted Britain's Prince William, who Trump met with later at the British ambassador's residence in Paris. Trump was greeted in the foyer, shook the royal's hand and said "good man, this one."
Trump told reporters the Prince of Wales was doing "a fantastic job" before the two went to sit down and talk in a private room reserved for high-profile figures in the residence that once was the Paris town home of Princess Pauline Borghese, the youngest sister French Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte.
Prince William was also scheduled to meet separately with Jill Biden, according to the British royal palace.
Relations between France and the U.S. during Trump's first term began warmly enough but grew increasingly strained over time.
Macron was the guest of honor at Trump's first state dinner, and Trump traveled 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 this year, Trump often mocked Macron, 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 companies.
But Macron was one of the first global leaders to congratulate Trump last month after the election.
Last weekend, Trump announced that he intends to nominate real estate developer Charles Kushner, the father of his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, to serve as ambassador to France. Predecessors in that prestigious role include Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson.
