President-elect Donald Trump announced Monday evening that he would travel to Paris on Saturday to attend the reopening of the Notre Dame Cathedral.
Trump made the announcement via his Truth Social network.
It will be his first trip abroad since winning the presidential election last month.
“President Emmanuel Macron has done a fantastic job ensuring that Notre Dame is restored to its full glory and more,” Trump said. ‘It will be a very special day for everyone!’
In the weeks since the election, Trump has begun to reestablish his position on the world stage, making phone calls with world leaders and hosting Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau at Mar-a-Lago on Friday evening.
Macron was the first world leader to congratulate Trump on his election victory, on November 6, when it became clear that the Republican Democratic candidate, Vice President Kamala Harris, defeated.
‘Ready to work together as we have done for four years. With your beliefs and mine. With respect and ambition. For more peace and prosperity,” Macron wrote.
The ambassadorship to France was in turn one of the first that Trump announced.
President-elect Donald Trump announced Monday evening that he would travel to Paris on Saturday to attend the reopening of the Notre Dame Cathedral.
The Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris will reopen on December 7 after the tragic fire of 2019. President-elect Donald Trump announced on Monday evening that he would be present there
Over the weekend, Trump said Ivanka Trump’s father-in-law, Charles Kushner, would serve as his ambassador to France.
Charles is the father of Ivanka’s husband, Jared Kushner.
Earlier Monday, Trump announced that Warren Stephens, a billionaire investor from Arkansas, would be his ambassador to Britain.
Ambassadorships to Britain and France have generally gone to close friends or top donors of the US president.
On April 15, 2019, the roof of Notre Dame caught fire and nearly toppled the 800-year-old cathedral, one of the most famous sites in the French capital.
Trump expressed his disgust at the fire at the time.
‘So terrible to see the huge fire at Notre Dame in Paris. Perhaps flying water tankers could be used to extinguish it. Must act quickly!’ he tweeted.
Macron set a five-year deadline to restore the cathedral from the fire.
President-elect Donald Trump posted on Truth Social on Monday evening that he would fly to Paris this weekend to attend the reopening ceremony of the Notre Dame Cathedral, which was damaged by fire in 2019.
The French president is expected to host about 50 heads of state to witness the reopening of Notre Dame.
It will open to invited guests on December 7, when Trump will attend.
It is open to the general public on Sunday, December 8.
President Joe Biden is not expected to attend the ceremony in Paris.
He arrived in Angola on Monday, for the first and only trip to Africa.
Biden is due to return to the White House on Thursday.