Trump assumes place as US leader in France visit as Notre Dame re-opening highlights country’s Catholic center

All eyes were on President-elect Donald Trump at the re-opening of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, as Pope Francis called the celebration a “prophetic sign of the renewal of the Church in France.”

In addition to attending the Notre Dame celebration, Trump held peace talks in Paris with Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky and French President Emmanuel Macron, setting terms for an end to the Russia-Ukraine war in Europe.

“President Trump is, as always, resolute. I thank him,” Zelensky wrote on X about the meeting. “We all want this war to end as soon as possible and in a just way.”

While campaigning, Trump promised to end the war and keep America out of future “endless wars” while still projecting U.S. strength. 

The peace talks were just another indication that the power vacuum left by an enfeebled President Joe Biden has been filled by Trump as de facto president since his victory in November capped a remarkable political shift. 

An anonymous former White House official from Trump’s first term told NBC News Trump is “already basically running things, and he’s not even president yet.” 

The grand re-opening of the medieval cathedral, gutted by fire five years ago, highlighted how Trump has taken center stage.  

“Given the weakness of the current president and the speed at which things develop in the modern world, Trump is, in effect, a presumptive president,” Newt Gingrich, a Republican former House speaker and a Trump ally, told NBC. “Certainly, foreign governments are treating him that way.” 

Trump’s elevated role comes when the world is facing a number of foreign policy hotspots that need immediate attention, such as Syria, Lebanon and Ukraine, as Biden finishes his term. 

Photos from the Notre Dame re-opening shared by Fox News show Trump talking amicably with First Lady Jill Biden, and later show Mrs. Biden looking on, seemingly impressed, as Trump spoke easily with the wife of French President Macron.  

In addition to the peace talks, Trump met with Prince William, the heir to the British throne, in a meeting where Trump reportedly impressed the future king.  

Paris Police Chief Laurent Nunez said about 50 heads of state from around the world attended the Notre Dame mass, according to Fox.  

But it’s not just the big wigs who are planning on flocking to the restored cathedral. 

The Catholic News Agency reports that nearly half the French population is already planning on a visit to Notre Dame, highlighting the country’s Catholic roots. 

Catholics make up the largest religion in France with nearly half of all citizens avowedly Catholic, with the next largest religion, Islam, making up just 4% of the population. 

For French Catholics, Notre Dame is the spiritual heart of Paris, said the Associated Press. 

“Notre-Dame has known darkness; now it is back in the light. It has known silence, and now it rediscovers the joy of our chants,” said Archbishop of Paris Laurent Ulrich, according to EWTN.  

The re-opening will last for two months.  

“Now is the time to return to Notre-Dame!” declared the cathedral’s rector, Monsignor Olivier Ribadeau Dumas, said EWTN.  

Now, apparently is also the time for Trump to return to the center of the world stage.  

“The rest of the world is already treating Trump like he is the power center of the United States,” Republican pundit Scott Jennings told a CNN panel. “The rest of the world responds to leadership. We’ve not had a strong president. We have one now, and everybody knows it.”