President-elect Donald Trump on Monday announced plans to travel to Paris this weekend in what would be his first trip overseas since his November election win.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“It is an honor to announce that I will be traveling to Paris, France, on Saturday to attend the re-opening of the Magnificent and Historic Notre Dame Cathedral, which has been fully restored after a devastating fire five years ago,” Trump said in a post<\/a> on Truth Social. “President Emmanuel Macron has done a wonderful job ensuring that Notre Dame has been restored to its full level of glory, and even more so. It will be a very special day for all!”<\/p>\n\n\n\n The trip marks the president-elect’s first known trip outside of the U.S. since May 2023, when he visited his golf properties in Ireland and Scotland.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The historic cathedral was damaged by fire in April 2019 and has since been under reconstruction. While restoration efforts will likely be ongoing for years<\/a>, Notre Dame is set to welcome visitors on Dec. 7.<\/p>\n\n\n\n French President Emmanuel Macron is expected to deliver remarks that day and attend the consecration of the altar during a Mass presided over by the Archbishop of Paris Laurent Ulrich on Dec. 8.<\/p>\n\n\n\n More than a year after first taking office in 2018, Trump welcomed Macron to the White House during his first state dinner<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n After Trump’s election victory last month, the French leader quickly congratulated him in a post on X<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n “Ready to work together as we did for four years,” Macron wrote. “With your convictions and mine. With respect and ambition. For more peace and prosperity.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n Trump said Saturday that he would nominate Charles Kushner, the father of his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, to serve as ambassador to France<\/a> in his incoming administration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n At the end of his first term in 2020, Trump pardoned the elder Kushner<\/a>, years after he pleaded guilty to 18 counts of tax evasion, witness tampering and making illegal campaign donations in 2005 and served 14 months in prison.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Trump has raised alarms\u2002<\/a>more broadly amongst some European allies in light of his comments on the campaign trail complaining about Ukraine aid<\/a> and threatening to encourage\u2002Russia<\/a> to \u201cdo whatever the hell they want\u201d to countries that didn\u2019t pay enough for defense.<\/p>\n\n\n\n