Trump is greeted by world leaders at Notre Dame’s reopening ceremony

Trump is greeted by world leaders at Notre Dame’s reopening ceremony

President-elect Donald Trump held court in France on Saturday and received eager greetings from a number of prominent world leaders as he attended the reopening of Paris’ Notre Dame Cathedral.

A video went viral of the once and future president walking to his seat and stopping to shake hands with world leaders. President Biden did not travel and Trump sat next to First Lady Jill Biden and her daughter Ashley, who also warmly greeted the new president.

Social media users were quick to point out the pomp and circumstance — including a red carpet — that was rolled out for Trump in a manner usually reserved for a sitting president.

“If the whole thing had been written as a movie plot, Hollywood would have passed on it because it would have been considered too far-fetched,” one person wrote in a comment on X.

TRUMP MEETS WITH MACRON AND ZELENSKYY AHEAD OF THE REOPENING CEREMONY OF NOTRE DAME IN PARIS

“President Trump will be greeted by Prince William, world leaders and heads of state at the official reopening of Notre Dame Cathedral. “It’s safe to say that the US has truly returned and is respected on the world stage,” another person commented.

“Hard to say if this was the reopening of Notre Dame or the reopening of Trump as world leader,” Fox News contributor Raymond Arroyo posted on X.

SOCIAL MEDIA REACTS TO TRUMP ‘DOMINANT LEADERS OF THE WORLD’ WITH MACRON HANDSHAKE DURING MEETING IN FRANCE

Trump shakes Prince William's hand

President-elect Donald Trump speaks with Britain’s Prince William, Prince of Wales, at Notre Dame Cathedral before France’s iconic cathedral officially reopens its doors on Saturday in December for the first time since a devastating fire ripped through the 861-year-old landmark in December 2019 almost destroyed .7, 2024 in Paris. (Ludovic Marin, Pool via AP)

“So it appears that Trump is already the sitting president. An inauguration is not necessary. The world has been waiting for the United States to finally take the lead, and it just walked in the door at Notre Dame,” wrote the parody account Not the Bee.

“One by one, world leaders rise to greet President Trump. This is what respect for our president and our country looks like,” former Deputy Treasury Secretary Monica Crowley posted on X.

Trump was also welcomed inside the cathedral Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, and Britain’s Prince William, whom the president-elect later met at the British ambassador’s residence in Paris.

“This is a good man. He’s doing a fantastic job,” Trump told reporters while shaking Prince William’s hand.

Ahead of the event, Trump met with French President Emmanuel Macron and the two shook hands – a gesture that quickly went viral online.

‘BREATHTAKING SPEED’: TRUMP’S PARIS TRAVEL BRANDS return to global stage as leaders ‘turn the page’ on Biden

French President Emmanuel Macron meets with President-elect Donald Trump at the Elysee Palace on December 7, 2024 in Paris, France.

French President Emmanuel Macron meets with President-elect Donald Trump at the Elysee Palace on December 7, 2024 in Paris, France. (Oleg Nikishin)

“President Trump is back to dominating world leaders with his handshake,” one user, George, wrote in a post on has done to me.”

“President Trump manhandles French President Emmanuel Macron with one of the most dominant handshakes I have ever seen,” said commentator Drew Hernandez. “We’re so back.”

Trump’s handshakes with world leaders have gone viral over the years, including when he grabbed Russian President Putin’s arm during a handshake at the 2019 G-20 summit.

Conspicuously absent from the celebrations was President Biden, who declined an invitation to attend the Notre Dame ceremony, five years after a devastating fire destroyed the century-old Paris landmark, with the White House citing a “scheduling conflict.”

Trump’s appearance marked his unofficial return to the world stage and served as a reminder that he is quickly becoming the center of global attention.

“This is without question a significant moment in French history and the fact that Macron wanted to share it with Trump shows the importance of what Trump is achieving even before he steps back into the Oval Office,” said Brett Bruen, public affairs officer Affairs and Strategy Communications veteran and former U.S. diplomat who served under both Democratic and Republican administrations.

“He will be celebrated in Paris in every sense of the word with all the glitz and glamor,” added Bruen, president of the Global Situation Room.

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The trip to Paris takes place a week later Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau rushed by unannounced at Mar-a-Lago to dine with Trump after the president-elect threatened a trade war with Canada and Mexico.

Fox News Digital’s Aubrie Spady and Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report.

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