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President-elect Donald Trump has returned to the world stage for the first time since his election victory last month, as he joined global leaders at the reopening of the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris.
Ahead of the ceremony, Trump met with French President Emmanuel Macron and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the Elysee Presidential Palace in Paris on Saturday.
“The world is going a little crazy right now,” the president-elect told reporters as he shook hands with Macron. “We’ll be talking about that.”
The visit comes just six weeks before Trump returns to the White House in January.
On Friday, Trump threw his support behind Pete Hegseth, his nominee for secretary of defense, blaming the “fake news” for the backlash against the former Fox News host.
Vice President-elect JD Vance echoed his comments on X and during a visit to North Carolina, when asked about rumors that Senator Joni Ernst was being floated as an alternative nominee.
Hegseth much of the week on Capitol hill trying to drum up support for his confirmation as allegations concerning sexual harassment and alcohol continue to dog him on top of concerns about his views on women in combat.
ICYMI: TikTok could try to fight fast-approaching US ban at the Supreme Court
A federal appeals court has turned down TikTok’s challenge of a quickly approaching forced sale or nationwide ban of the immensely popular app in the United States, but the company could soon ask the Supreme Court to step in.
Friday’s decision from the Washington DC-based appellate court sided with the Department of Justice, which has argued that the federal government has the authority to restrict or ban the app on grounds that it allegedly poses a national security risk if its China-based parent company ByteDance exposes Americans’ data or manipulates what they see.
TikTok argued that the ban infringes on its users’ First Amendment protections, but the three-judge panel agreed that the government “has offered persuasive evidence” that a law passed by Congress to potentially ban the app is “narrowly tailored to protect national security.”
Donald Trump says Prince William ‘doing a fantastic job’ as they meet in Paris
U.S. President-elect Donald Trump praised the Prince of Wales for “doing a fantastic job” after the pair shared a warm greeting in Paris on Saturday night.
Prince William stepped in for his father, King Charles, to join world leaders for the ceremonial reopening of Notre Dame Cathedral five years after it was devastated by fire.
His presence was at the request of the government, which hopes a meeting between the prince and Trump will help form a platform for a relationship between Britain and the US.
The pair first greeted at the ceremony inside Notre Dame, when Trump patted Prince William on the shoulder before the pair shook hands.
After the service, they then went to the residence of the British ambassador for a meeting, with the prince seen standing in the foyer as Trump arrived.
On greeting again, Trump turned to reporters and said “Wow, what a nice group”. He then gestured to the prince and said: “Good man, this one.”
Prince William last met the 78-year-old in 2019 when the then-president made a state visit to the U.K.
Trump expected to meet with Italian Prime Minister tonight
President-elect Trump is expected to meet with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni tonight at a reception dinner for the Notre Dame reopening ceremony.
The two will meet in a “private pull aside” at that the dinner, hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron, a source familiar with the plans told CNN.
Brian Cox shares plans to avoid the US after Donald Trump victory
Scottish actor Brian Cox has said he will “try to spend as much time here” in the UK as he can following the results of the US presidential election.
The Succession star, 78, has been outspoken about his views on President-elect Donald Trump and called him a “monster” while he was a guest on Channel 4’s live coverage of the US election last month.
Tom Murray reports:
In pictures: Trump and Prince William meet in France
ICYMI: Elon Musk spent over $250 million to help Trump get elected, new filings show
Federal Election Commission documents published Thursday revealed that Musk handed over more than $230m to the America PAC — a political action committee that the Tesla billionaire created and which ultimately grew into a vital fundraising organ for the Trump campaign.
In the few weeks before Election Day, Musk made three separate $25m donations to America PAC, the filings show.
Reality TV personalities and tourist photoshoots: Outside Mar-a-Lago with Trump’s new fan club
In West Palm Beach, Florida, The Independent’s Eric Garcia met the MAGA superfans who are camping outside Trump’s estate at all hours.
Check out the story here:
Trump hits out at Obama as he says U.S. should not get involved in Syria conflict: ‘Not our fight’
Donald Trump criticized former President Barack Obama while wading into the ongoing Syria conflict on Saturday, saying the U.S. should not get involved nor should it have ever inserted itself in the matter.
In keeping with his isolationist foreign policy, the president-elect wrote on Truth Social that the United States “should have nothing to do with” the situation in Syria – where rebels are currently trying to take over the capital in an attempt to overthrow President Bashar al-Assad’s government.
“THIS IS NOT OUR FIGHT. LET IT PLAY OUT. DO NOT GET INVOLVED!” Trump wrote.
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Trump v Macron: Forceful handshake raises eyebrows on social media
Full story: Donald Trump meets Volodymyr Zelensky in return to world stage at Notre Dame reopening
US President-elect Donald Trump has returned to the world stage while also meeting Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky in Paris for the reopening of the Notre Dame cathedral.
Mr Trump was among dozens of world leaders at the event to mark the restoration of the French landmark which was destroyed by a fire in 2019. Also there was Prince William, who was pictured shaking hands with Mr Trump.
More than a month remains until Mr Trump is inaugurated, but against the backdrop of two major land wars in Europe and the Middle East, as well as several other devastating conflicts in Africa and Asia, world leaders have been jostling for his attention.
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