‘It will be a very special day’
President-elect Donald Trump announced Monday that he will travel to Paris this weekend to attend the opening of the once fire-ravaged and newly rebuilt Notre Dame Cathedral.
“It is an honor to announce that I will be traveling to Paris, France, on Saturday to attend the re-opening of the Magnificent and Historic Notre Dame Cathedral, which has been fully restored after a devastating fire five years ago,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
The visit will mark the president-elect’s first international trip since his Election Day victory over Vice President Kamala Harris.
Trump, 78, praised French President Emmanuel Macron for the work he’s put into restoring the iconic 12th-century landmark, which was gutted by the April 15, 2019 blaze.
“President Emmanuel Macron has done a wonderful job ensuring that Notre Dame has been restored to its full level of glory, and even more so,” the 45th president said. “It will be a very special day for all!”
Trump called the inferno “a terrible sight to behold” as he watched the flames rip through the 861-year-old structure during his first term in office.
“The fire that they are having at the Notre Dame Cathedral is something like few people have witnessed,” Trump told reporters on the day of the fire.
“It is one of the great treasures of the world. The greatest artists in the world. Probably, if you think about it, I would say it might be greater than almost any museum in the world and it’s burning very badly,” he added, noting that the disaster goes “beyond countries.”
“That is a part of our growing up,” he said of the cathedral at the time. “It’s a part of our culture. It’s a part of our lives. That’s a truly great cathedral. I have been there, I have seen it. It’s a terrible scene.”
The Trump transition team has reportedly been in discussions with Macron’s office for days regarding the visit, according to CNN.
Macron was one of the first foreign leaders to congratulate Trump on his 2024 win, tweeting: “Congratulations, President @realDonaldTrump. Ready to work together as we did for four years. With your convictions and mine. With respect and ambition. For more peace and prosperity.”
Trump and Macron have also spoken by phone since the president-elect’s victory.
Trump’s Paris trip will follow Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s meeting with the president-elect last week at Mar-a-Lago.
The Trump transition team did not immediately respond to The Post’s request for comment.