US President-elect Donald Trump has announced that he will travel to France on Saturday to attend the reopening of Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris. Around fifty heads of state and government are expected.
"I am honoured to announce that I will be going to Paris, France, on Saturday to attend the reopening of the magnificent and historic Notre-Dame Cathedral, which has been fully restored," the Republican stated on his Truth Social network.
This will be his first foreign trip since his victory in the US presidential election on 5 November.
Notre-Dame Cathedral, a masterpiece of 12th-century Gothic art, was partially destroyed by a fire on 15 April 2019.
At the time, then-President Trump suggested in a widely commented tweet that French authorities deploy water-bombing aircraft.
A man stands in front of Notre-Dame de Paris cathedral a few days before its reopening, in Paris on December 2, 2024. Credit: Belga / AFP
The cause of the fire has yet to be determined, but it sparked global emotion and led to a flood of donations for the restoration of the iconic Parisian landmark, one of Europe’s most-visited monuments.
"President Emmanuel Macron has done a remarkable job ensuring that Notre-Dame is restored to its full glory and even beyond," Trump praised.
Numerous foreign leaders have been invited to the reopening, but the list of attendees has not yet been released, and Pope Francis has opted to visit Corsica a week later rather than Paris.
French President Emmanuel Macron, who visited the construction site on Friday, predicted a "shock of hope" during the grand reopening ceremony.
