Trump will attend the reopening of Notre Dame in his first foreign trip since the election Donald Trump News

The US president-elect says he will visit Paris for a ‘special day’ to celebrate the restoration of a cathedral destroyed by fire.

Donald Trump has announced that he will attend the reopening of Notre-Dame, a landmark in Paris that was destroyed by fire five years ago, in his first overseas trip since winning the United States presidential election.

The 12th-century Gothic masterpiece, badly damaged by fire in 2019, will reopen its doors to tourists and the Catholic faithful on Saturday and Sunday.

A number of world leaders are expected to attend the launch of the restoration, which French President Emmanuel Macron likened to the healing of a “national wound”.

“It is an honor to announce that I will travel to Paris, France, on Saturday to attend the reopening of the magnificent and historic Notre Dame Cathedral, which has been completely restored after a devastating fire five years ago,” Trump said. in a post on his Truth Social forum on Monday.

“President Emmanuel Macron has done an excellent job of ensuring that Notre Dame is restored to its full glory, and beyond. It will be a very special day for all!”

During his first term in office, Trump weighed in on the fire at Notre Dame as images of the blaze were broadcast live around the world, suggesting that “flying water tanks could be deployed” to put out the flames.

“You must act quickly!” Trump said on Twitter, X’s former name.

French authorities rejected the proposal, saying that using a bomber could cause “the entire structure of the cathedral” to collapse.

Trump and Macron have had a rocky relationship.

Macron was among the first world leaders to congratulate Trump on his re-election and was the guest of honor at the former president’s first dinner.

But the two leaders also clashed over Trump’s skepticism about NATO and France’s moves to raise tariffs on American tech.

The restoration of Notre-Dame was made possible by 846 million euros ($887.4m) in donations from some 340,000 donors from 150 countries.

The five-year effort, involving about 250 companies and hundreds of experts, has cost an estimated 700 million euros ($734.3m).

Recovery chief Philippe Jost last month told a press conference that the remaining donations of around 140 million euros ($147m) would be used for future savings efforts.