French president Emmanuel Macron welcomed Donald Trump to Paris on Saturday with a full dose of presidential pomp as the two men resumed the relationship they established during Trump’s first term after a four-year hiatus.
Mr Trump, the once and future American president, said the two would be discussing a world that’s gone “a little crazy” as they met one-on-one before a celebration of the reopening of Notre Dame cathedral five years after a devastating fire.
Mr Trump’s visit to France comes as Mr Macron and other European leaders are trying to win Trump’s favour and persuade him to maintain support for Ukraine in its defence against Russia’s invasion.
Mr Macron’s office said that would be discussed as well as the wars in the Middle East.
As Mr Trump arrived at the Élysée Palace, the official residence of the French president, Mr Macron went out of his way to project an image of close ties, posing for multiple handshakes interspersed with plenty of back-patting.
Mr Trump said it was “a great honour” and talked about the “great relationship” they have had.
At the palace, a grand red carpet was rolled in the same way the French welcome sitting US presidents.
Before they went inside, Mr Trump said: “It certainly seems like the world is going a little crazy right now. And we’ll be talking about that.”
Later, Mr Macron and Mr Trump sat down to meet Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy.
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.
Mr Zelenskiy said he had “a good and productive” meeting with Mr Trump and Mr Macron.
“We all want this war to end as soon as possible and in a just way. We spoke about our people, the situation on the ground, and a just peace,” he said.
On Saturday evening, with three resounding knocks on its doors by Paris Archbishop Laurent Ulrich, wielding a specially designed crosier carved from fire-scorched beams, Notre Dame cathedral was officially reopened following the fire that nearly destroyed it in 2019.
The ceremony, initially planned to begin on the forecourt of the towering Gothic masterpiece, was moved entirely inside due to unusually fierce December winds sweeping across the Ile de la Cité, flanked by the river Seine.
Yet the occasion lost none of its splendour. Inside the luminous nave, choirs sang psalms, and the cathedral’s mighty organ, silent for nearly five years, thundered to life in a triumphant interplay of melodies.
The restoration, a spectacular achievement in just five years for a structure that took nearly two centuries to build, is seen as a moment of triumph for Mr Macron, who championed the ambitious timeline – and a welcome respite from his domestic political woes.
The evening’s celebration, attended by 1,500 dignitaries, including Mr Trump, Mr Zelenskiy, Primate of All Ireland Archbishop Eamon Martin, Jill Biden, Elon Musk and Britain’s Prince William, underscored Notre Dame’s enduring role as both a spiritual and cultural beacon.
The ceremony also featured a message from Pope Francis, who declined to attend the ceremony. Francis described it as a day of “joy, celebration and praise”. In his message, he said he hoped “the rebirth of this admirable church would constitute a prophetic sign of the renewal of the church in France”.
Observers see the event as Mr Macron’s, and his intention to pivot it into a fully-fledged diplomatic gathering, while highlighting France’s ability to unite on the global stage despite internal political crises.
Inside, 42,000sq m of stonework – an area equal to six football pitches – were meticulously cleaned, revealing luminous limestone and intricate carvings.
Overhead, 2,000 oak beams, nicknamed “the forest”, were used to rebuild the spire and roof, restoring the cathedral’s iconic silhouette.
The thunderous great organ, with 7,952 pipes ranging from pen-sized to torso-wide, resounded for the first time since the fire.
Its newly renovated console, boasting five keyboards, 115 stops, and 30 foot pedals, was a marvel of restoration, reawakening a cornerstone of Notre Dame’s identity.
Guests gradually filing into the cathedral for the evening reopening ceremonies were awestruck by the renovated interiors, many whipping out mobile phones to capture the moment.
Guests entered through Notre Dame’s iconic western facade, whose arched portals adorned with biblical carvings were once a visual guide for medieval believers.
Inside, the hum of hundreds of guests awaiting the service filled the cathedral with human sounds once more – a stark contrast to the construction din that echoed there for years.
The celebration is expected to give a much-needed boost to embattled Mr Macron, whose prime minister was ousted this week, plunging the nation’s politics into more turmoil.
The French president, who has called Notre Dame’s reopening “a jolt of hope”, will address the gathering. He had hoped the occasion would briefly silence his critics and showcase France’s unity and resilience under his leadership.Macron’s presidency now faces its gravest crisis after the government’s collapse this week in a historic no-confidence vote that toppled prime minister Michel Barnier.