Pete Buttigieg responds to the Notre-Dame fire in perfect French
Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg has just set the gold standard when it comes to responding to the devastating fire at Paris' famous Notre-Dame cathedral.
Speaking to a reporter for French station BFM TV, Buttigieg, who is currently the mayor of South Bend, Indiana, delivered his condolences and solidarity with the French people in perfect, fluent French.
« Au peuple de France je voudrais dire que la cathédrale Notre Dame, c’était comme un cadeau à l’espèce humaine. Nous partageons la douleur mais nous vous remercions aussi de ce cadeau à la civilisation. » @PeteButtigieg à @BFMTV
Et en français! 🇫🇷🇺🇸#NotreDame pic.twitter.com/0xbf5lGhYH— Cédric Faiche (@cedricfaiche) April 15, 2019
Loosely translated, Buttigieg's message was, "To the people of France I would like to say that Notre-Dame Cathedral was like a gift to the human race. We share the pain but we also thank you for this gift to civilization."
SEE ALSO: The most striking newspaper tributes to Notre-Dame
Buttigieg later shared a very similar sentiment on Twitter as he shared a message from Gérard Araud, French ambassador to the U.S. thanking Buttigieg for his kind words.
The Cathedral of Notre Dame has been a gift of civilization to all humanity, and we are of one spirit with the French people this evening. https://t.co/Hwx1I4iCaH
— Pete Buttigieg (@PeteButtigieg) April 16, 2019
Buttigieg speaks seven languages, and his message of hope stood in stark contrast to President Trump's suggestion of using flying water tankers.
As of Tuesday morning, a pair of French billionaires have already pledged over $330 million dollars to aid the restoration of the cathedral which lost its spire and roof in the fire. Damage assessment of the centuries-old cathedral will continue in the coming days.
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