President-elect Donald Trump is in Paris, France, on Saturday for the reopening of the Notre Dame Cathedral, which was partially destroyed in a 2019 fire. He met with French President Emmanuel Macron and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky ahead of the ceremony.
Despite being invited, President Joe Biden did not make the trip due to a “scheduling conflict,” the White House said. First lady Jill Biden will be in attendance for the ceremony, but not the meeting between world leaders.
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Macron praised Trump for his “solidarity” and “immediate action” during his first administration when the 861-year-old church was damaged in the fire, and said, “It's a great honor for French people to welcome you five years later.”
Addressing the media beside the French president, Trump said “We had a lot of really great success working together on defense and offense too."
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He added, “It certainly seems like the world is going a little bit crazy right now, and we'll be talking about that.”
Trump, Macron, and Zelensky sat down for a meeting in Paris ahead of the ceremony. The trio engaged in discussions just a week after the Ukrainian president revealed the conditions under which he wants the war with Russia to end, something he said he would “work directly” with Trump to accomplish.
"I had a good and productive trilateral meeting with President [Trump] and President [Macron] at the Élysée Palace," Zelensky posted on X. "President Trump is, as always, resolute. I thank him. I also extend my gratitude to Emmanuel for organizing this important meeting."
He added, "We all want this war to end as soon as possible and in a just way. We spoke about our people, the situation on the ground, and a just peace. We agreed to continue working together and keep in contact. Peace through strength is possible."
The White House was asked on Friday about Trump meeting with foreign officials prior to his inauguration, to which Biden’s press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre noted that such meetings are commonplace and have historical precedent.
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Many online have pointed out the awkward nature of Trump and Macron’s handshakes over the years, with Trump appearing to physically dominate the French president. Their handshake on Saturday prompted more viral posts.
The reopening ceremony is set to begin at 1 p.m., or 7 p.m. local time, and will be led by Laurent Ulrich, the Archbishop of Paris. Ulrich will knock on the doors of the 861-year-old church with his staff and a psalm will be sung three times before the doors open.