President-elect Donald Trump held court in France on Saturday, attended the reopening of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, and received enthusiastic greetings from many of his close world leaders.
A video of the former and future president heading to his seat and pausing to shake hands with world leaders went viral. Although President Biden did not visit, President Trump sat near First Lady Jill Biden and her daughter Ashley, who also warmly welcomed the president-elect.
Social media users were quick to point out the pomp and circumstance that unfolded for President Trump in a manner typically characteristic of a sitting president, including the red carpet.
“If this whole thing had been written as a movie plot, Hollywood would have deemed it too far-fetched and would have passed on it,” one person wrote in a comment about X.
Trump meets with Macron and Zelenskiy ahead of reopening ceremony of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris
“President Trump will be welcomed by Prince William, world leaders and heads of state at the official reopening of Notre Dame Cathedral. America will be truly and truly restored and respected on the world stage. It's no exaggeration to say that it has become so,” said another source. commented.
“It's hard to tell if this was a reopening of Notre Dame or a reopening of Trump as a world leader,” Fox News contributor Raymond Arroyo wrote on X.
Social media reacts to Trump's 'world-dominating leader' shaking hands with Macron at meeting in France
President-elect Donald Trump on Saturday, December, before France's iconic cathedral officially reopened for the first time since a devastating fire nearly gutted the 861-year-old landmark in 2019. Meeting with Britain's Prince William at Notre Dame Cathedral.7, 2024 Paris. (Ludovic Marin, Pool via AP)
The parody account “Not the Bee” wrote, “It seems like Mr. Trump is already acting president. There is no need for an inauguration ceremony. The world has been waiting for the United States to finally show leadership, but the United States I just opened the cathedral door.”
Monica Crowley, former assistant secretary of the treasury Posted on.
President Trump was also welcomed inside the cathedral. President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky, So did Britain's Prince William, with whom the president-elect later met at the British ambassador's residence in Paris.
“This is a good man. He's doing a great job,” President Trump told reporters as he shook hands with Prince William.
Prior to the event, President Trump met with French President Emmanuel Macron, and the gesture of the two shaking hands quickly went viral.
'Breathtaking speed': President Trump's Paris visit returns to world stage as leaders turn 'page' on Biden
On December 7, 2024, French President Emmanuel Macron and President-elect Donald Trump meet at the Elysée Palace in Paris, France. (Oleg Nikin)
One user, George, wrote in a post on You're going to need a massage.”
Commentator Drew Hernandez said: “President Trump is manhandling French President Emmanuel Macron with the most dominant handshake I've ever seen.” “I’m so glad I came back.”
President Trump's handshakes with world leaders have been a hot topic for years, including when he pulled Russian President Vladimir Putin's arm during a handshake at the 2019 G20 summit.
Conspicuously absent from the celebration was President Biden, who declined an invitation to attend the ceremony at Notre Dame Cathedral. It's been five years since a devastating fire destroyed a centuries-old Paris landmark, with the White House citing “scheduling conflicts” as the reason.
Trump's appearance marked his unofficial return to the world stage and served as a reminder that he is rapidly becoming the center of global attention.
“This is definitely a seminal moment in French history, and the fact that President Macron wanted to share it with President Trump makes it clear that President Trump will once again be in the Oval Office,” said Brett Bruen, communications strategist. “It speaks to the importance of what has already been accomplished.” A communications veteran and former U.S. diplomat who served under both Democratic and Republican administrations.
“He is literally being celebrated in Paris with all the glitz and glamour,” added Bruen, director of the Global Situation Office.
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My trip to Paris is in a week. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau After the president-elect hinted at a trade war with Canada and Mexico, he made a quick stop at Mar-a-Lago and had dinner with Trump.
Fox News Digital’s Aubrie Spady and Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report.
