President-elect Trump and First Lady Jill Biden attended the reopening of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, sitting in the same row during the ceremony.
The cathedral reopened on Saturday after a major fire in spring 2019 destroyed the spire and wooden latticework on the roof.
During the ceremony, President Trump sat in the front row Between French President Emmanuel Macron and French First Lady Brigitte Macron. Opposite the French first lady, Jill Biden was seated to the right with her daughter Ashley Biden. Trump and Jill Biden were photographed talking while Brigitte Macron was not seated.
Mr Macron spoke at the ceremony, and the cathedral's bells tolled for the first time since the fire five years ago. Firefighters working to extinguish the fire stood in front of the cathedral, and the word “Merci'' was lit on the building as the crowd cheered.
President Trump arrived to attend the ceremony and was welcomed by Mr. and Mrs. Macron, shortly after President Trump, President Macron, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy met at the Elysee Palace.
President Trump shakes hands with Prince William as he heads to his seat inside the cathedral. The two are scheduled to meet after the ceremony. BBC Reported.
Later, Jill and Ashley Biden arrived and were greeted by Mr. and Mrs. Macron. President Macron gave the first lady a warm hug after hugging her for the first time. The White House announced Friday that President Biden would not be able to attend due to scheduling conflicts.
Other attendees included billionaire tech entrepreneur Elon Much and former Secretary of State John Kerry. Trump and the first lady's motorcade were parked next to each other at the cathedral, according to reporters traveling with Biden.
After the ceremony, the Macrons hosted a reception at the Elysée Palace.
