‘A Very Special Day For All’: Trump Returns To World Stage, Joins Reopening Celebrations At Notre Dame Cathedral

/in , , , , , , , , , /by

President-elect Donald Trump embarked on his first foreign trip since his November 2024 electoral victory, joining Saturday’s reopening ceremonies for Paris’s famous Notre Dame Cathedral.

The weekend’s celebration, which drew an estimated 50 world leaders and high security, kicks off an octave of events marking the restoration of the famous twelfth-century Gothic church to its place in Catholic liturgical life and French tourism following a devastating April 15, 2019 fire. Firefighters stood helpless as the blaze — believed to have been accidentally ignited by an electrical failure or a lit cigarette — consumed the roof and spire of the UNESCO World Heritage Site. Thwarting their efforts to douse the flames with water was a centuries’ old waterproofing technique involving covering the roof with a lead sheet.

Nearly $1 billion in pledges from 150 countries was raised within days of the devastation to launch the ambitious five-year rebuilding effort, itself a point of national pride. Approximately $148 million of the funds remained unspent as of November 2024, The Associated Press (AP) reported.

Trump met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and French President Emmanuel Macron at Élysée Palace prior to departing for the events at Notre Dame.

The reopening service was presided over by the archbishop of Paris, Laurent Ulrich, and observed by French government officials, world leaders, donors and representatives of Parisian clergy and laity, according to Notre Dame’s announcement of the ceremonies. During the rite of the opening of the cathedral’s doors, the archbishop struck the closed door with his liturgical staff — the crosier — crafted from charred remains of the roof, prompting attendees to respond with the thrice singing of Psalm 121:

How joyful it was when they said to me, ‘Let us go to the house of the Lord!’
Now our feet are standing within your gates, O Jerusalem!
Jerusalem, built as a city, that is bound firmly together.

After the doors’ opening and before an address by Macron, those who responded to the 2019 fire and assisted with the restoration were honored. The archbishop then blessed the 8,000-pipe Great Organ of Notre Dame to symbolically end the silence imposed upon the cathedral. In addition to the singing of hymns, a series of prayers was offered for the world and in thanksgiving to God for the successful rebuilding effort. A star-studded concert was also scheduled for Saturday evening.

Following the events at Notre Dame, Trump met with William, the Prince of Wales, at the British ambassador’s residence in Paris.

The inaugural Mass will occur Sunday with the consecration of the cathedral’s high altar. A “fraternal buffet” will then be offered “to welcome the most disadvantaged and those who support them daily.” Notre Dame expects to welcome 15 million visitors annually following the reopening, three million more than before the disaster, according to AP.

Trump announced his intention to join Notre Dame’s reopening celebration in a Truth Social post Monday.

“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,” the president-elect wrote. “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!”

President Macron, whose government collapsed Wednesday, extended the invitation to attend to Trump, sources told Fox News. First lady Jill Biden, joined by her daughter, Ashley, attended as part of her final solo foreign trip which included stops in Italy, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. President Joe Biden was also invited but did not attend due to a “scheduling conflict,” White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Friday.

Trump spoke with Macron as well as Pope Francis in the aftermath of the “horrible and destructive fire” and “offered the help of our great experts on renovation and construction,” according to a pair of April 17, 2019 social media posts. He suggested the utilization of “water tankers” to stop the fire from above, a method a French civil agency which deals with disasters dismissed.

Macron was the first U.S. ally to congratulate Trump on his successful bid to return to the White House, according to Politico.

Pope Francis, who suffered a facial injury Friday morning, did not attend Saturday’s service — attributed to a scheduling conflict — but sent a message acknowledging the occasion.

In the weeks following an assassination attempt at a July 13, 2024 rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, Trump posted to social media at least three references to significant Catholic figures: one honoring Mary, the mother of Jesus, and another for martyred Polish priest Jerzy Popiełuszko; a famous prayer to St. Michael the Archangel, as well as an image honoring the Nov. 1 Solemnity of All Saints. Catholics subsequently expressed delight and speculated as to the motivation of the posts.

Trump, speaking with “The World Over” host and Fox News contributor Raymond Arroyo following the Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation Dinner in New York on Oct. 17, denied he was “telling voters something about [his] spiritual journey.”

“No, I don’t think so, it’s just beautiful to me,” Trump said. “I look at the whole thing: the words and the pictures — the pictures are so beautiful. Yeah, I put up some stuff … it’s really that I think it’s really beautiful.”

Catholics, an estimated 22% of the 2024 electorate, broke for Trump over Vice President Kamala Harris 58%-40%, according to a CNN exit poll. Among Latino Catholics, Trump secured a seven-point lead, 53%-46%. He performed better among white Catholics, whose support he drew 61%-35%, a 26-point lead.

The reopening of Notre-Dame de Paris, which translates to “Our Lady of Paris,” coincides with the Dec. 8 Catholic feast of the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception which honors Mary, the mother of Jesus and serves as the patronal feast day for the United States. While Notre Dame honors Mary’s role in the Christian religion, Catholics do not worship her.

France was estimated to have a self-identifying Catholic population of 37.9 million, or 60% of the 2010 national population, 65 million, according to Pew Research. While that figure has significantly decreased with the rise in both secularism and Islam, the country seemingly retains some of its identity as “the eldest daughter of the Church.”

The Daily Caller reached out to Notre-Dame de Paris, the Archdiocese of Paris, the Apostolic Nunciature in the United States, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, the Embassy of France in the United States, and the Office of Melania Trump for comment but received no response before publication.

Editor’s note: This report has been updated with additional details surrounding the reopening of Notre Dame.

AUTHOR

Thomas Wong

Associate weekend editor.

RELATED ARTICLES:

These Photos Show The Damage Done To The Notre Dame Cathedral

Trump Doubles Down On Hegseth Support As Media Campaign Against Him Appears To Lose Momentum

EXCLUSIVE: Prominent Police Organization Throws Support Behind Kristi Noem In Confirmation Process

EDITORS NOTE: This Daily Caller column is republished with permission. ©All rights reserved.

Rejoice America, We have a lot to be thankful for! Happy Thanksgiving!

/in , , , , , , , /by

The time has come to take a deep breath, spend time with God, your family and clear your head. Let’s say a prayer for ourselves, our families, our troops, and America, President Trump and the team.  Then let’s make a decision to start now, today, to be thankful we have a chance to be Free Americans. Let’s stop the great divide and really make the effort to come together.

We know the plan. We have seen it often enough: make the people feel guilty and frightened.  But the people are now waking up to the propaganda they have been fed. We are now looking forward to a shake up in DC . We support President Trump’s picks. We expect them to uncover and prosecute corruption, and close wasteful agencies. We expect them to follow the constitution.

It is up to us, we the people to make sure our legislators follow our wishes and do not go off on their own. We must be polite but vocal. We must conduct the best oversight. The only way to have confidence in your oversight is to be educated. It is impossible to know what to expect in the future, if you don’t get your clues from the past.

Our show this week is quite special. William Federer, , historian, journalist, author, speaker, is our guest in the first segment. He will enlighten you with a portion of American history, our history, I’ll bet you never realized.  As we learn more of America’s past we learn  why our Constitution works. How important it is and how we must never let it be altered.

The second portion of the show is special for this Thanksgiving/Christmas season. This segment is for the family. It is time we honor the family.  Time to enjoy our time together as a family.  We have lost so many traditions, isn’t time to get them back? So gather your children, grandchildren, nieces and nephews and listen to the radio broadcast of “Britfield and the Lost Crown”, a story for children, preformed by children. “

Trailer: WTK Liberty Players and ‘The Britfield & The Lost Crown’ Christmas Special Radio Show

The series of five shows features 19 children from California and begins with a performance by the “We The Kids Liberty Players, ” who meet an author from the past. Attorney Susan Swift, a child actress based in Los Angeles, has worked with the We The Kids Liberty Players to make the show possible. We thank you.” Judy Fraiser, President, We The Kids. We hope you enjoy the play and share it with more friends and family.

©2024 . All rights reserved.

Please visit Karen’s Newsletter substack.

Our Country Is More Than Just A Brand

/in , , , , , , /by

It’s fitting that Donald Trump should return to office just in time for America’s next big birthday: July 4, 2026, the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Yet it will be hard to celebrate with a logo that, as the Daily Caller’s Andrew Powell put it last year, looks “like absolute ass.” While there are plenty of urgent matters to take care of, some things are bigger than policy. America marks a new independence on the heels of Trump’s sweeping popular mandate — and we need a revised logo worth celebrating.

Great art isn’t meant to represent a subject on its own terms, but rather as the artist sees it. In turn, what the artist sees often reflects the values and ideals of his moment in history. For example, Michelangelo’s masterpiece “David” depicts the biblical hero who defeated Goliath, but with its idealized form and anatomically correct musculature, represents a Renaissance infatuation with humanist ideals. In a time when our own culture feels stuck in place, it’s no wonder that America’s new corporate-tested semiquincentennial logo feels so uninspired.

In her announcement of the logo last year, America 250 Chair Rosie Rios described the bicentennial logo that inspired her as a child nearly 50 years ago: the “double-lined five-pointed red and blue star with rounded edges that was vibrant, dynamic, and became a symbol for what our nation stood for.” Everyone knows the story behind the stars on the American flag; there is one for each state in the Union. But in Christianity, the five-pointed star represents the Star of Bethlehem, which guided the three Wise Men to the birthplace of Jesus. It stands as a symbol of protection and divine guidance — precisely the Founders’ hope for a new nation. It is what Trump, too, must strive for if he hopes to restore their vision.

About America250

Celebrating the 250th anniversary of the signing of Declaration of Independence

Our mission 
and vision

To commemorate and celebrate our 250th anniversary with inclusive programs that inspire Americans to renew and strengthen our daring experiment in democracy. The shared experiences of America250 will have ignited our imaginations, elevated our diverse stories, inspired service in our communities, and demonstrated the lasting durability of the American project.

America250 is a nonpartisan initiative working to engage every American in commemorating the 250th anniversary of our country. This multi-year effort, from now through July 4, 2026, is an opportunity to pause and reflect on our nation’s past, honor the contributions of all Americans, and look ahead toward the future we want to create for the next generation and beyond.

The U.S. Semiquincentennial Commission was established by Congress in 2016 to plan and orchestrate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence of the United States. The nonpartisan Commission, chaired by former Treasurer of the United States Rosie Rios, is working with America250.org, Inc. to engage Americans across the country in designing the largest and most inclusive anniversary observance in our nation’s history.

The America250.org, Inc. (“A250”) is the nonprofit supporting organization to the U.S. Semiquincentennial Commission. A250 works collaboratively with the Commission to facilitate robust public-private partnerships that bring the vision for America250 to life. A250 senior leaders and Board of Directors oversee a dedicated staff focused on executing the Commission’s vision.

Learn more about America250

AUTHOR

Gage Klipper

RELATED VIDEOS:

President Trump announces a 250th Birthday Party for America from Memorial Day 2025 to July 4, 2026

America’s 250th anniversary is on July 4, 2026, DOGE will deliver our nation the birthday gift

EDITORS NOTE: This Daily Caller newsletter is republished with permission. ©All rights reserved.

Did you enjoy this newsletter? Feel free to send us some feedback, and we’ll see you next Tuesday! Email: cultured@dailycaller.com