On Saturday, the reopening of Notre Dame Cathedral will be attended by First Lady Jill Biden, according to an announcement from her office on Tuesday. She will be traveling from Doha, Qatar, to Paris that day, already being overseas before heading back to Washington on Sunday.
President-elect Trump is also set to be present at the reopening event in Paris, expressing his admiration for French President Emmanuel Macron’s efforts in restoring the iconic cathedral.
He commented 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!” Recently, the first lady and Trump met at the White House, where he engaged with President Biden as part of the presidential transition process.
The Notre Dame Cathedral endured a catastrophic fire in the spring of 2019, resulting in the collapse of its spire and the wooden latticework of its roof. The cathedral’s website indicates that reopening ceremonies are scheduled for the following Saturday and Sunday.
Jill Biden’s attendance at the reopening is part of a multi-day trip during which she will emphasize her initiatives as first lady before her tenure concludes in January.
Next Tuesday, she plans to visit Naval Air Station Sigonella in Catania, Italy, as part of her initiative for military families. Following that, she will travel to Abu Dhabi on Wednesday for the Biden Cancer Moonshot initiative and then to Doha on Thursday to promote her women’s health initiative.