President-elect Donald Trump embarked on his first foreign trip since his re-election with a meeting with the French president Emmanuel Macron in the Elysee Palace.
Before the meeting, Macron welcomed Trump, saying: “It is a great honor for the French to welcome you five years later.”
Macron thanked Trump for his “solidarity” and “immediate action” during his first presidency: “At that time you were president, for the first time, and I remember your solidarity and your immediate action. Welcome again. Thank you. We are. very happy you are here being”.
French President Emmanuel Macron welcomes President-elect Donald Trump ahead of their meeting at the Elysee Palace in Paris on December 7, 2024.
Julien De Rosa/AFP via Getty Images
Trump celebrated the “huge success” the United States and France had together “defensively and offensively” during his first term and said they would talk about the world “going a little crazy right now.”
“Thank you. A great honor. And we had a great relationship. As everyone knows, we achieved a lot together,” he said. “And the French people are spectacular. I think it’s one of our greatest groups in the United States, the French, and we respect and love them. Very talented people, lively people, as you know very well, yes, and it’s an honor to be here.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with Macron and Trump around 11:34 a.m. Eastern. However, he did not make a statement before the meeting.
French President Emmanuel Macron, President-elect Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky pose before a meeting at the Elysee presidential palace in Paris on December 7, 2024.
Sarah Meyssonnier/POOL/AFP via Getty Images
Trump is in France to participate in the reopening of Notre Dame, more than five years after a fire. seriously damaged the cathedral. First lady Jill Biden is also among the delegates from around the world attending the events.
The meeting comes at a time when Macron’s government is facing a political crisis following the resignation of its prime minister, Michel Barnier. He resigned after facing a vote of no confidence. Macron, who became president in 2017, has vowed to serve until the end of his term in 2027 despite calls from some to resign.
“We had a great time together, and we had a lot of success, really a lot of success, working together defensively and offensively as well,” Trump said of the US-France relationship during his first administration. “And it certainly seems like the world is going a little crazy right now, and we’re going to talk about that.”
Trump arrived at the Elysee Palace around 10:41 a.m. and met with Macron outside before entering the building at around 10:43 a.m. Eastern. She was due to meet Prince William, Prince of Wales for the first time since 2019, but the meeting was canceled before the Notre Dame ceremony.
