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.

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. 

Buttigieg speaks seven languages, and his message of hope stood in stark contrast to President Trump’s suggestion of using air-borne 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.