President-elect Donald Trump on Monday announced plans to travel to Paris this weekend, which would be his first trip abroad since his election victory in November.
“It is an honor to announce that I will travel to Paris on Saturday to attend the reopening of the beautiful and historic Notre Dame Cathedral, which has been fully restored after a devastating fire five years ago,” Trump said. in a post on Truth Social. “President Emmanuel Macron has done a fantastic job ensuring that Notre Dame is restored to its full glory and more. It will be a very special day for everyone!”
The trip marks the president-elect’s first known trip outside the US since May 2023, when he visited his golf courses in Ireland and Scotland.
The historic cathedral was damaged by fire in April 2019 and has since been rebuilt. Although restoration work will likely take years, Notre Dame will welcome visitors on December 7.
French President Emmanuel Macron is expected to give a speech that day and attend the dedication of the altar at a Mass led by the Archbishop of Paris, Laurent Ulrich, on December 8.
More than a year after first taking office in 2018, Trump welcomed Macron to the White House at his first state dinner.
After Trump’s election victory last month, the French leader quickly congratulated him in a post on X.
“Ready to work together as we have done for four years,” Macron wrote. “With your beliefs and mine. With respect and ambition. For more peace and prosperity.”
Trump said Saturday he would nominate Charles Kushner, the father of his son-in-law Jared Kushner, as ambassador to France in his new administration.
At the end of his first term in 2020, Trump pardoned the elder Kushner, years after he pleaded guilty to 18 charges of tax evasion, witness tampering and making illegal campaign donations in 2005, and served 14 months in prison.
Trump has raised broader alarm among some European allies in light of his comments on the campaign trail, in which he complained about aid to Ukraine and threatened to encourage Russia to “do whatever they want” against countries that did not pay enough for defense.
This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
