For the reopening of Notre-Dame de Paris, Saturday December 7, the future president of the United States, Donald Trump traveled to France where he gave a single interview to the French press. This is Manon Quérouil-Bruneel, senior reporter at Paris Match who had the opportunity to exchange with the most powerful man in the world.
An interview to be discovered in the next issue of Paris Match available Thursday December 12. On RTL, the journalist returned to this very special moment in her career. “I was surprised not to have had to submit my questions beforehand and not to have any proofreading,” she says. A practice that is nevertheless common among heads of state or institutional representatives.
What surprised the journalist was not the careful search of the president's bodyguards upon his arrival, but the seriousness of Donald Trump: “I had imagined someone a little more in the show,” confides- she said. “He didn’t give me the customary handshake and thank God”adds the journalist jokingly.
A president sensitive to the symbol of Notre-Dame
During the interview, President Donald Trump reaffirmed his support for Emmanuel Macron and his attachment to Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris. “I have the impression that it really wasn’t a posture,” says Manon Quérouil-Bruneel. “It was the first head of state to call Emmanuel Macron the day of the fire. At the Élysée, we were also told that he was among the first to be called for this invitation.”
“I found him extremely sincere on the Notre-Dame part also because he also points out that he has a builder’s background,” she explains. “He is a man who is a real estate tycoon. He was also inexhaustible on what to do, what not to do, about the restoration work.”
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