France Trump expected in Paris: first trip abroad since election victory
A month and a half before his inauguration, US President-elect Donald Trump is making his first trip abroad since his election victory this weekend and is visiting France.
07.12.2024, 06:14
SDA
At the invitation of French President Emmanuel Macron, Trump is expected to attend the ceremonial reopening of Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris on Saturday evening. Macron and Trump plan to meet at the Élysée Palace in the afternoon for bilateral talks, as announced by the French side. Macron also wants to receive Ukrainian President Volodymyr Selensky there afterwards.
The political talks
Trump's presence at the Notre Dame ceremony and the political talks on the sidelines are likely to attract a lot of attention. Whether trade, climate protection or security: Europe knows very well how dramatically Trump can change transatlantic relations. What's more, the visit coincides with a domestic political crisis in France, which is putting Macron under considerable pressure. It remains to be seen whether Trump will use the visit to Paris for separate meetings with other heads of state and government. It is conceivable, for example, that he and Macron could sit down together with Selenskyj.
During the presidential election campaign, Trump repeatedly claimed that he could end the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine within 24 hours - also thanks to his good contacts with Russian President Vladimir Putin. He even boasted at a rally that he could even settle the conflict before he took office. He did not say how. During the election campaign, Trump signaled that, if re-elected, he would drastically reduce or completely stop the - so far enormous - US support with military equipment for Ukraine. But will he follow up his words with action?
The Notre Dame celebrations
On January 20, Trump is sworn in as president and takes over from Joe Biden. The Democrat is not expected at the Notre Dame reopening - but his wife, First Lady Jill Biden, is. The opening ceremony on Saturday evening will also be attended by German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, Britain's heir to the throne Prince William, EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and several heads of state and government from other countries - including the kings of Morocco and Jordan, Mohammed VI and Abdullah II.
The cathedral was badly damaged in a fire five years ago and has since been renovated. For Macron, the reopening of the Parisian landmark is a highlight of his now seven-year term of office. When the president promised to rebuild Notre-Dame within five years after the catastrophic fire, many had thought this impossible. Macron is likely to see it as a special coup to receive the future US President at the nationally significant reopening ceremony.
The political crisis in France
However, Trump is now arriving in the midst of a political crisis in France, which is also putting Macron in a predicament. On Wednesday evening, the opposition toppled the center-right government of previous Prime Minister Michel Barnier in a dispute over an austerity budget. Since then, parts of the opposition have also been calling for Macron's resignation. Now the president wants to install a new prime minister in a rush, who will have to form a new government with the divided parties in parliament.
Courting Trump's favor
During Trump's first term in office, Macron made conspicuous efforts to maintain a good relationship with the Republican - despite all political differences of opinion. The Frenchman publicly staged himself as a strong European counterpart to the most powerful man in the world. Even after his re-election, Macron is now at the forefront when it comes to getting on good terms with Trump.
Since his victory in the presidential election at the beginning of November, heads of state and government from around the world have been trying to re-establish contact with Trump after he caused major upheavals in foreign policy during his first term in office. Top representatives of some countries - most recently Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau - have also made personal visits to Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate in the US state of Florida.
