Jill Biden reveals what transpired in viral moment with Trump at Notre Dame Cathedral reopening
First lady Jill Biden and President-elect Trump surprised observers in December after appearing chummy at the reopening of the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris — and now the former first lady has revealed what the pair talked about in that viral moment.
French first lady Brigitte Macron had been sitting in between Biden and Trump during the ceremony, but when she got up and the two were left to themselves, they were captured smiling and chatting. Biden revealed in an interview with The Washington Post that she poked some fun at him and her husband.
“I had a good meeting with your husband in the Oval Office,” Trump said, according to Jill. Trump met with President Biden at the White House following his decisive win over Vice President Kamala Harris in the 2024 general election, and the two men were photographed smiling and laughing together.
“Yes,” Jill replied to Trump, “because you’re both talkers.”
The next day, Trump posted a photo on social media of his interaction with the first lady on an advertisement for his line of $199 perfumes and colognes with a tagline that read, “A fragrance your enemies can’t resist.”
Post reporter Kara Voght asked Biden why she even spoke with the man who didn’t give her husband the same courtesy of inviting him to the White House when Biden beat him in the 2020 election. And what of her husband previously calling Trump an “existential threat” to democracy?
“Joe and I respect our institutions, our traditions,” Jill replied. “And it’s very important to me that they continue and we — what would be the point of nastiness?”
A fire broke out at the Notre Dame cathedral on Apr. 15, 2019. Horrified onlookers watched as the fire consumed the church’s iconic spire and most of the roof. But firefighters were able to save the main structure of the cathedral, including the bell towers and windows.
The emotional reopening ceremony last month featured remarks from French President Emmanuel Macron after the cathedral’s bells rang out.
“I stand before you to express the gratitude of the French nation, our gratitude to all those who saved, helped and rebuilt the cathedral,” Macron said.
“Tonight we can together share joy and pride,” he later said. “Long live Notre-Dame de Paris, long live the Republic and long live France.”
Trump again found himself as one-half of another odd couple when he was seen laughing with former President Barack Obama at the late Jimmy Carter’s funeral last week.
Lip readers and other political observers have been trying to ascertain what the pair talked about as they sat next to each other in the pews.
The president-elect poked fun at all the buzz by posting a humorous spoof of his conversation with Obama on his Truth Social and X accounts.
The video shows Trump and Obama mocking Vice President Kamala Harris’ failed presidential campaign with what appears to be AI-generated dialogue that mimics the pair’s voices, with Trump also taking a swing at his 2016 presidential opponent Hillary Clinton, who was also in attendance.
