After four years, US President-elect Trump is about to return to the world stage.
According to China News Service, on December 2, local time, Trump announced on social media that he would travel to Paris, France on the 7th to attend the reopening ceremony of Notre Dame de Paris, which was destroyed by fire five years ago.
This is Trump's first overseas visit since winning the presidential election last month, which is of symbolic significance. It is reported that about 50 heads of state and government will attend the ceremony, and the US "First Lady" Jill Biden will also attend. French President Emmanuel Macron will address the guests.
Why did Trump choose France as his first overseas appearance after the election? What kind of sparks will he create with Macron and other foreign leaders?
Gladly invited
Trump posted a message on social media on the 2nd, announcing his trip to France this weekend. In just a few lines, it contained a lot of information.
He first expressed his "honor" to be invited to the ceremony; then he praised Notre Dame for being "fully restored" and "restored to even beyond its former glory" and Macron for "doing an excellent job"; finally, he expressed his anticipation for the weekend's activities, "This will be a very special day for everyone!"
According to people familiar with the matter, after receiving the invitation from the French government, Trump immediately told his team that he wanted to attend because he has always been fascinated by Notre Dame. In recent days, Trump's team has been discussing the visit with Macron's office. It is said that Trump and Macron have had at least one phone call.
Notre Dame de Paris is one of the most popular historical monuments in the French capital and the first fully Gothic cathedral in Europe. It has been in existence for more than 800 years and has more than 12 million visitors a year. In April 2019, the landmark building was severely damaged in a fire. Trump posted on social media at the time, "It is terrible to see the fire at Notre Dame de Paris." He later called Macron to express his condolences.
Over the past five years, the French government has launched a large-scale restoration project, which cost nearly 700 million euros and was finally completed within the original deadline.
This Saturday and Sunday, France will hold a reopening ceremony for Notre Dame de Paris, which is expected to attract about 50 heads of state and government. According to the Elysee Palace’s announcement at the end of last month, the US "First Lady" Jill Biden will be invited to attend. At that time, Macron will be there to address the guests.
It is not yet clear whether Trump will hold talks with Macron during his appearance in Paris.
Gladly invited
Trump posted a message on social media on the 2nd, announcing his trip to France this weekend. In just a few lines, it contained a lot of information.
He first expressed his "honor" to be invited to the ceremony; then he praised Notre Dame for being "fully restored" and "restored to even beyond its former glory" and Macron for "doing an excellent job"; finally, he expressed his anticipation for the weekend's activities, "This will be a very special day for everyone!"
According to people familiar with the matter, after receiving the invitation from the French government, Trump immediately told his team that he wanted to attend because he has always been fascinated by Notre Dame. In recent days, Trump's team has been discussing the visit with Macron's office. It is said that Trump and Macron have had at least one phone call.
Notre Dame de Paris is one of the most popular historical monuments in the French capital and the first fully Gothic cathedral in Europe. It has been in existence for more than 800 years and has more than 12 million visitors a year. In April 2019, the landmark building was severely damaged in a fire. Trump posted on social media at the time, "It is terrible to see the fire at Notre Dame de Paris." He later called Macron to express his condolences.
Over the past five years, the French government has launched a large-scale restoration project, which cost nearly 700 million euros and was finally completed within the original deadline.
This Saturday and Sunday, France will hold a reopening ceremony for Notre Dame de Paris, which is expected to attract about 50 heads of state and government. According to the Elysee Palace’s announcement at the end of last month, the US "First Lady" Jill Biden will be invited to attend. At that time, Macron will be there to address the guests.
It is not yet clear whether Trump will hold talks with Macron during his appearance in Paris.
Love and hate
This trip will be Trump's first foreign visit since winning the presidential election last month, and will also mark the president-elect's return to the world stage after four years.
It is not surprising that Trump chose France as his first destination. Some commentators said that France was one of Trump's favorite foreign destinations during his first term. He has always liked construction sites, not to mention grand ceremonies held at historical construction sites.
This is also the first time Trump and Macron have met again in four years.
During Trump's first term, Macron and Trump established a rather delicate personal relationship that started high and ended low.
Trump visited France four times during his presidency. Macron "pulled out all the stops", including a military parade, a dinner at the Eiffel Tower, and holding hands several times, to showcase their budding friendship.
Macron was a guest at Trump's first state dinner, and the two men greeted each other by touching cheeks at the White House. Trump also reportedly patted dandruff off Macron's shoulder. Compared with other European counterparts, Macron seems to be the only European leader who can establish a harmonious relationship with Trump.
However, as Trump's term progressed, Franco-American relations began to deteriorate from the end of 2018 due to policy differences such as trade, climate and the Iran nuclear deal. The "brotherhood" between Trump and Macron also seemed to have come to an end.
The outside world discovered that when the two met again, there was no more kissing on the cheek, only fake smiles with tightly closed lips. At the end of 2019, Macron publicly criticized Trump for questioning the necessity of NATO, and bluntly stated that the United States under Trump lacked leadership and strategic coordination.
Some commentators said that Macron and Trump's transition from "honeymoon" to "awkward chat" to some extent reflects the love-hate relationship between France and the United States.
France has a high degree of confidence in its history and culture. It despises the arrogance and unilateralism of the United States, but admires its material progress, popular culture and social mobility. In terms of foreign policy, Macron follows the "independent" line set by General Charles de Gaulle, hoping that France will stand tall again among the nations of the world, but he cannot change his dependence on the United States in defense and security, and maintains close cooperation with the United States in areas such as counter-terrorism.
Start over again?
Four years later, Macron, who was successfully re-elected, will meet Trump, who was re-elected. Can they resolve their past grievances?
Trump repeatedly mocked Macron during his campaign this year, imitating his accent and threatening to impose high tariffs on French wine shipped to the United States if France tried to tax American companies.
Macron did not hide his enthusiasm, especially after Trump's victory last month. He was one of the first foreign leaders to congratulate Trump, calling before British Prime Minister Starmer did.
"Congratulations to President Trump." Macron posted on social media in the early morning of November 6, "Be ready to work together, just like we did in the previous four years. With your and my beliefs, with respect and ambition, for more peace and prosperity."
Like other European leaders, Macron hopes to persuade Trump not to abandon his support for Ukraine, a country he has long questioned as to whether continued U.S. support is necessary.
Just last weekend, Trump announced that he would nominate Charles Kushner, the 70-year-old real estate developer and father of his son-in-law Kushner, as the US ambassador to France. The elder Kushner was sentenced for crimes such as tax evasion and was pardoned by Trump in 2020. Some commentators said that French establishment figures "rolled their eyes" at the nomination. They questioned whether Charles Kushner knew nothing about France and could not even speak French, but just spent a lot of money on Trump's campaign.
After this weekend, the outside world will wait and see whether Trump and Macron’s “friendship boat” can set off again.#ETH持续飙升 
