U.S. President-elect Donald Trump smiles to the crowd during the National Guard Association’s 146th Convention and Exhibition at the Huntington Square Convention Center in Detroit, Michigan, August 26, 2024.
Emily Erkonen | Getty Images News | Getty Images
U.S. President-elect Donald Trump returned to the world stage on Saturday, joining world leaders in reopening Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris.
The trip, Trump’s first abroad since winning the presidential election a month ago, could provide French President Emmanuel Macron with an opportunity to play the role of mediator between Europe and unpredictable U.S. politicians, something the French leader has favored in the past. role.
According to French media reports, Trump’s special plane landed at Paris Orly Airport around 0600 GMT on Saturday.
The two are expected to meet during Saturday’s visit. While the agenda for the talks has not yet been released, European leaders are concerned that Trump could withdraw U.S. military aid to Ukraine at a critical moment in its war to repel Russian invaders.
Macron is a staunch supporter of the NATO alliance and the fight in Ukraine, while Trump believes European countries need to pay more for mutual defense and negotiate a solution to end the war in Ukraine.
“Mr. Macron is repeating his personal approach that had some limited success during Mr. Trump’s first term. Macron knows that Mr. Trump deeply appreciates the pomp, circumstance and grandeur of the country, and he serves as a He has a wealth to offer,” said Heather Conley, senior advisor to the board of directors of the German Marshall Fund, which promotes U.S.-European relations.
Trump will join dozens of world leaders and foreign dignitaries for a ceremony to reopen Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris 5-1/2 years after it was destroyed by fire.
It is unclear whether Trump will meet with other leaders besides Macron. The Trump transition team did not respond to a request for details.
Although Trump will be sworn in as president on January 20, he has already held discussions with a number of world leaders and members of his team are trying to keep pace with a growing number of world crises, including Ukraine and the Middle East.
Trump’s national security adviser Mike Walz and Ukraine envoy Keith Kellogg met with Ukrainian envoy Andrei Yermak in Washington on Wednesday, fueling speculation that Trump and Ukrainian President Zelensky may We will meet in Paris soon.
When Notre Dame burned in 2019, Republican Trump was in office. Harris, regained the presidency.
“Symbolically, Mr. Trump’s presidency and Notre Dame were restored around the same time. His visit to Paris also marked the beginning of his return to the world stage, further shortening the final days of the Biden administration.” Conley said.
Biden’s wife, First Lady Jill Biden, will represent the United States at the Notre Dame reopening ceremony.
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Trump joining forces with other world leaders will draw widespread attention around the world. He visited France four times as president between 2017 and 2021, including the D-Day anniversary ceremony in 2019.
“The world is going to see Trump potentially be in a statesmanlike position,” said Republican strategist Doug Heyer.
“This is not a picture of him at Mar-a-Lago,” Heyer said, referring to the Florida home where Trump has spent much of his time since the election.
“This is the biggest event in the world and he will be traveling with other leaders.”
Observers will be watching to see how Trump and Macron interact. The pair’s relationship has had its ups and downs over the years.
Macron invited Trump to attend the Bastille Day military parade in Paris in July 2017, an event that prompted Trump to order his own military parade in Washington to commemorate the 2019 Independence Day. hosted Macron at a White House state dinner, but a year later the two feuded over Macron’s comments about the state of NATO.
“Trump coming to Paris is Macron’s ‘good coup’,” said Gérard Araud, the former French ambassador to Washington. “It is essential to establish a direct relationship with the only important person in the Trump administration, Trump himself. of.”
Macron, who has just over two years left in his term as president, took a non-confrontational approach to Trump during his first term, hoping to win concessions by engaging with him. But over time, policy decisions on climate, taxes and Iran caused friction between the two leaders. By the end, the relationship became even more tense.
Conflict is likely to be imminent amid Trump’s desire to impose sweeping tariffs on Europe and other U.S. trading partners and disagreements over how to handle the Ukraine-Russia conflict.
