Trump dominates Macron during tense handshake as leaders meet ahead of Notre Dame reopening
President-elect Trump dominated French President Emmanuel Macron during a tense photo-op handshake as the leaders met in Paris ahead of the Notre Dame cathedral’s reopening Saturday — where global heads of state and dignitaries tripped over themselves to pay their respects to “The Don.”
The gripping scene happened in front of the Elysee Palace, where Trump enjoyed a grand red carpet treatment — complete with trumpets blaring and members of the Republican Guard in full uniform usually reserved for sitting US presidents.
The power move – reminiscent of the white-knuckle, prolonged shake the two had in Trump’s first term –forced Macron to lean into Trump, who eventually released his grip and strolled inside the building for a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
“Instead of a weak frail president who shuffles around, we have a president that’s engaged and demands respect. You can look at the body posture, you can look at the handshake and tell Trump and [President] Biden are very different men,” Rep. Ronny Jackson (R-Tex.) told The Post. “The whole world can see just based on body posture that America is back.”
One critic on X summed it up this way: “President Trump just made Macron his b—h with one handshake.”
Inside the 861-year-old cathedral for the reopening ceremony, Trump enjoyed front-and-center seating between Macron and his wife, Brigitte, who he later quipped looked “so beautiful.”
German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and King Philippe of Belgium flashed wide grins as they shook hands with the once-and-future president, as did Britain’s Prince William, who met with Trump afterward for one-on-one talks at the British ambassador’s residence in Paris.
German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and King Philippe of Belgium flashed wide grins as they shook hands with the once-and-future president.
And once Trump took his seat, Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili swooped in to offer her bonhomies.
First Lady Jill Biden, who attended the weekend’s festivities in her husband’s stead and was seated next to their daughter, Ashley, appeared visibly uncomfortable just one spot over from Trump.
Trump’s prime real estate was a far cry from the back-corner snub President Biden endured during a photo op at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation conference last month in Peru.
“It may seem like a little thing to most people but President Trump’s seating at Notre Dame is indicative of a man the world respects and fears and that American leadership is back front and center on the world stage,” said Gavin Wax, New York Young Republican Club Chairman.
“His prominent and central seating is not something that would have been afforded to President Biden.”
Despite the previous tensions between the two nation’s leaders during Trump’s first term, Macron, who invited Trump to the ceremony, attempted to demonstrate close ties with his American counterpart by posing for a slew of snaps and engaging in much back-patting ealier in the day.
The French leader lavished praise on Trump for his “solidarity” and “immediate action” during his first presidency, while Trump in turn said he and Macron had “really great success working together on defense and offense” during his first administration.
He added that the pair would be discussing a world that is “going a little crazy right now.”
“The president held his head high, his words clear and commanding, not mumbled or uncertain,” Rep. Jeff Van Drew (R-NJ) told The Post.
“He showed the world that America is not only its leader but also its steadfast ally and friend…No more falling asleep at the wheel like the weakness of the past administration.”
Zelensky — who appeared visibly uncomfortable in a photo op inside the Elysee next to a stone-faced Trump — later called the trilateral confab, “good and productive.”
“We all want this war to end as soon as possible and in a just way. We spoke about our people, the situation on the ground and a just peace,” Zelensky wrote on X.
Trump had vowed to bring a speedy conclusion to the nearly three-year war sparked by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine by forcing a peace agreement, claiming on the campaign trail that he could end the conflict in one day owing to Kyiv’s reliance on US weaponry.
Macron, Zelensky and other European leaders, however, are hoping to convince the president-elect not to abandon support for Ukraine in its ongoing fight and to push for an end to the war that ultimately favors Kyiv.
“Today’s re-opening of Notre Dame has become merely a supporting act for the re-emergence of Donald Trump to the world. He’s not just back, but the world’s leaders are all realizing the same thing: daddy’s home,” a Trump insider said.
Additional reporting by Diana Glebova
With Post wires
