The second time’s a charm for President-elect Trump — at least when it comes to an election win getting him the establishment recognition he has always sought.
Trump has received a display of homage at home and abroad since winning November’s contest over Vice President Harris. It's the kind of public pomp that eluded him after his shock victory over Hillary Clinton in 2016.
The nature of this acclaim is eliciting an unusual level of glee from Trump — a man who biographers say has never quite left behind the outer-borough imprint of his upbringing in Queens, N.Y., where his family’s wealth was never enough to buy him full entrée into the Manhattan cultural elite.
The accolades and invites have come thick and fast this time.
Trump was invited to France last weekend at the behest of President Emmanuel Macron. The main occasion was a ceremony marking the reopening of the ornate Notre Dame Cathedral.
The trip also included a meeting between Trump, Macron and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the French president’s official residence, the Élysée Palace.
Macron told Trump it was a “great honor for the French people” to welcome the president-elect.
According to the Associated Press, “an actual red carpet was rolled out for Trump as Macron bestowed the kind of full diplomatic welcome that........