French President Emmanuel Macron welcomed Donald Trump to Paris on Saturday with a full dose of presidential pomp as the two held a hastily arranged meeting with Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky before celebrating the grand reopening of the Notre Dame Cathedral.
On a day that mixed pageantry with attention to pressing global problems, the once and future American president was warmly embraced by Mr Macron upon arriving at the Elysee Palace.
“It’s a great honour for French people to welcome you five years later,” Mr Macron told Mr Trump. “Welcome back again.”
Mr Trump said it was a “very great honour” to be there, while hinting at challenges ahead.
“It certainly seems like the world is going a little crazy right now. And we’ll be talking about that,” Mr Trump said.
An actual red carpet was rolled out for Mr Trump as Mr Macron bestowed the kind of full diplomatic welcome that France offers sitting American presidents, complete with trumpets blaring and members of the Republican Guard in full uniform.
It was a clear sign that even though Mr Trump does nt take office until January 20, Mr Macron and other European leaders are already working to win his favour and treating him as America’s representative on the world stage.
President Joe Biden declined an invitation to attend the Notre Dame ceremony, five years after a devastating fire, with the White House citing a scheduling conflict. First lady Jill Biden was the official US representative in his place.
Mr Macron and leaders across Europe are trying to persuade the president-elect to maintain support for Ukraine in its defence against Russia’s invasion. Mr Macron’s office said the war, along with conflicts in the Middle East, would be discussed.
As Mr Trump arrived at the official residence of the French president, Mr Macron went out of his way to project an image of close ties, offering handshakes and plenty of back-patting for the cameras.
In a video posted later on X, Mr Macron could be heard asking Mr Trump: “You remember?” as both men entered a reception room.
“I remember,” Mr Trump answered.
Mr Trump spent about 90 minutes inside, meeting first with Mr Macron before they were joined by Mr Zelensky for about 35 minutes.
The French president’s office said the three-way talks were proposed by Mr Macron and arranged shortly before Mr Trump’s arrival.
Mr Trump has pledged to end the war in Ukraine swiftly but has not specified how, raising concerns in Kyiv about what terms may be laid out for any future negotiations.
“United States, Ukraine and France. Together on this historic day. United for Notre-Dame. Let’s continue to work together for peace and security,” Mr Macron wrote on X afterward.
Elon Musk, the billionaire CEO of Tesla and X who has spent considerable time with Trump since the election and spent millions to elect him, was also in attendance at Notre Dame.
