This weekend, France will mark the official opening of the restored Notre Dame Cathedral. But to represent the United States, France invited Donald Trump, the menacing president-elect, not Joe Biden, the lame-duck president. Alas, after his dithering withdrawal cost Democrats the presidency and his self-righteous pardoning of his son, it seems the tarnishing of Biden’s legacy knows no bounds.
Anyway, this is the most significant ecumenical event since the abdication of Pope Benedict XVI and the inauguration of Pope Francis in 2013. Trump will headline a roster of 50 heads of state attending this solemn celebration. But nothing preaches that politics trumps religion quite like France snubbing Biden in favor of Trump. After all, Trump is such a notorious heathen that he practically personifies Mammon. Meanwhile, Biden, a devout Christian, is arguably more Catholic than the pope.
French President Macron is clearly desperate to bask in Trump’s triumphal glow. Not least because his government is teetering on the brink of collapse — aping the recent collapse of Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s in Germany.
That desperation explains this invitation. It also explains the big show Macron made on Monday of celebrating billionaire Bernard Arnault, founder and CEO of LVMH, being named to the Académie des Sciences Morales et Politiques, one of France’s most revered societies. What better way to suck up to Trump than to start lauding and cavorting with billionaires the way he does?
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