Donald Trump says he will attend the reopening of Notre Dame in Paris on Saturday.
The visit will be his first major outing since winning the election.
“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. It will be a very special day for all!” Trump said Monday in a post on Truth Social.
The reopening of the cathedral, which was badly damaged in a 2019 fire, will be a major global affair. Heads of state and government from about 50 nations are expected to attend, according to The Associated Press.
The restoration of the cathedral, a World Heritage site, was financed by donors from 150 countries and cost nearly 700 million euros.
Macron was the first foreign leader to congratulate Trump after his win. The two worked together closely during Trump’s first term, although at times they had a strained relationship.
Entertaining world leaders won’t be the only thing on Macron’s plate this week, however.
The French government led by Prime Minister Michel Barnier faces a no-confidence vote on Wednesday that it is expected to lose.
Barnier’s efforts to push through a budget without a parliamentary vote upset the left and the far-right wings of the French National Assembly. Macron will need to appoint a new prime minister to replace Barnier if he is ousted just weeks before end-of-year deadlines for the budget.
On Saturday, Trump announced Charles Kushner, the father of Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, would serve as his ambassador to France. If confirmed by the Senate, Kushner, a convicted felon who Trump pardoned in 2020, would replace Denise Campbell Bauer.
