President-elect Donald Trump held court in France Saturday, receiving eager greetings from a host of familiar world leaders as he attended the reopening of Paris’ Notre Dame Cathedral.
Video went viral of the once and future president making his way to his seat, and stopping to shake hands with heads of state. President Biden did not make the trip, and Trump sat near first lady Jill Biden and their daughter, Ashley, who also warmly greeted the incoming 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 way typically reserved for a sitting president.
“If this whole thing had been written as a movie plot, Hollywood would have taken a pass because it would be seen as too far-fetched,” one person wrote in a comment on X.
TRUMP MEETS WITH MACRON, ZELENSKYY AHEAD OF NOTRE DAME REOPENING CEREMONY IN PARIS
“President Trump is greeted by Prince William, world leaders & heads of state from all over the world at the official reopening of Notre Dame Cathedral. It’s safe to say the US is well & truly back & respected on the world stage,” another person commented.
“Hard to tell if this was the re-opening of Notre Dame or the re-opening of Trump as global leader,” Fox News contributor Raymond Arroyo posted on X.
President-elect Donald Trump talks to Britain’s Prince William, Prince of Wales, in Notre Dame Cathedral before France’s iconic cathedral is formally reopening its doors for the first time since a devastating fire nearly destroyed the 861-year-old landmark in 2019, Saturday Dec.7, 2024 in Paris. (Ludovic Marin, Pool via AP)
“So it appears Trump is acting president already. No need for inauguration. The world has been waiting for the US to finally have leadership, and it just walked in the door at Notre Dame,” the parody account Not the Bee wrote.
“One by one, world leaders rise to greet President Trump. This is what respect for our President and country looks like,” Former Assistant Treasury Secretary Monica Crowley posted on X.
While inside the cathedral, Trump was also greeted by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, as well as Britain’s Prince William, who the president-elect met with later at the British ambassador’s residence in Paris.
“A good man, this one. He is doing a fantastic job,” Trump told reporters while shaking hands with Prince William.
Ahead of the event, Trump met with French President Emmanuel Macron, and the two shook hands in a gesture that quickly went viral online.
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 X. “Macron is going to need a hand massage after all that twisting and pulling Trump did to him.”
“President Trump manhandles French President Emmanuel Macron with one of the most dominating handshakes I’ve ever seen,” said commentator Drew Hernandez. “We are so back.”
Trump’s handshakes with world leaders have gone viral over the years, including when he pulled in Russian President Putin’s arm during a handshake at the G-20 Summit in 2019.
Noticeably missing from the festivities was President Biden, who declined an invitation to attend the Notre Dame ceremony, five years after a devastating fire wrecked the centuries-old Paris landmark, with the White House citing a “scheduling conflict.”
Trump’s appearance marked his unofficial return to the global stage and a reminder that he is quickly becoming the center of the world’s attention.
“This is without question a major moment in French history and the fact that Macron wanted to share it with Trump speaks to the significance of what Trump is achieving even before he gets to the Oval Office again, said Brett Bruen, a public affairs and strategic communications veteran, and former U.S. diplomat who served under both Democratic and Republican administrations.
“He is being feted quite literally in Paris with all the glitz and glamour,” Bruen, president of the Global Situation Room, added.
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The trip to Paris comes a week after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau hastily made an unannounced stop in 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.