Elon Musk, the world's wealthiest individual and a close confidant of Donald Trump, made an unexpected appearance at the reopening ceremony of Notre-Dame de Paris Cathedral on December 7, 2024, following the 2019 fire. The CEO of Tesla, SpaceX, and social media platform X arrived in the afternoon at Le Bourget airport, a common landing spot for private jets, according to an airport source who spoke to AFP on condition of anonymity.
Musk was present inside the cathedral for the evening ceremony, which marked the historic building's reopening after the devastating fire. His attendance was not previously disclosed. Before entering, he captured an image of the cathedral's grand doors and engaged in conversation with Trump, who was seated in the front row. Musk shared a video of the cathedral's vaulted roof on X with the caption 'Magnificat Cathedrale.'
Since Trump's re-election on November 5, Musk has played a prominent and influential role by the Republican's side. He contributed at least $270 million to Trump's campaign and relocated to the president-elect's Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida post-election while the new White House team was being assembled. The duo has attended an Ultimate Fighting Championship event in New York and witnessed the launch of one of Musk's SpaceX rockets.
Trump has appointed Musk and fellow ally Vivek Ramaswamy to lead the 'Department of Government Efficiency,' a commission tasked with recommending methods to reduce federal spending by billions of dollars. Given Musk's businesses are regulated by and receive contracts from the US government, his role has sparked concerns about potential conflicts of interest.
Trump accepted French President Emmanuel Macron's invitation to attend the Notre-Dame reopening, over five years after the fire. He met Macron at the Elysee Palace in Paris, renewing a relationship that was often strained during Trump's first term. The president-elect has also nominated several Musk associates for key positions in his new administration, including investor David Sacks as the 'AI and crypto czar' and billionaire astronaut Jared Isaacman, who has collaborated with SpaceX, as the head of NASA.
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