Donald Trump : «Macron, c'est un type intelligent, il vous dépouillerait si vous ne faisiez pas attention»

LE FIGARO : Le candidat républicain à la Maison-Blanche évoquait notamment dans cette émission la présidence de Joe Biden, qu'il a qualifié de «clown» et d'«idiot».

Donald Trump a assuré dans un podcast diffusé mercredi que le président français Emmanuel Macron était «un type intelligent» qui «vous dépouillerait si vous ne faisiez pas attention». Le candidat républicain à la Maison-Blanche évoquait notamment dans cette émission la présidence de Joe Biden, qu'il a qualifié de «clown» et d'«idiot». «Nous n'avons pas un vrai président. Nous avons un homme qui est fondamentalement inepte et c'est très dangereux parce que les autres gars (dirigeants, ndlr) sont au top de leur forme», a lancé le milliardaire de 78 ans, qui émet des critiques régulières sur les capacités cognitives de Joe Biden. » | Par Le Figaro avec AFP | mercredi 9 octobre 2024

Netanyahu Hits Out at Macron over Call for Halt to Arms Exports to Israel

THE GUARDIAN: Israeli prime minister turns on French counterpart’s continuing efforts towards a ceasefire and end to violence in Lebanon

A call by Emmanuel Macron for a halt in arms supplies to Israel for use in Gaza has been met with an angry rebuttal from the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu.

The French president’s comments were directed mainly at the US and were part of continuing French efforts to revive its call for a ceasefire in Lebanon.

France provides few arms to Israel but is keen to strengthen its longstanding influence in Lebanon by showing it wants the US to put some genuine pressure on Israel to accept a ceasefire. Washington appeared to mount little diplomatic resistance when Israel – after sending mixed signals – rejected a US-French plan for a 21 day ceasefire in Lebanon announced at the UN in New York nearly a fortnight ago.

In an interview recorded on Monday, but broadcast on Saturday, Macron told France Inter radio: “I think that today, the priority is that we return to a political solution, that we stop supplying weapons to lead the fighting in Gaza.” » | Patrick Wintour, Diplomatic editor | Sunday, October 6, 2024

To my great surprise, Emmanuel Macron is on the wrong side of history on this! Macron is ignoring what Hamas did to Israel and Israelis on October 7th, 2023, and he is ignoring the fact that Benjamin Netanyahu with our help will be able to rid the world of the scourges of the Islamic Republic of Iran and Hamas. The Palestinian question will never be solved with these two rogue powers undermining peace in the region. We all want the very best for Palestinians. These poor people have suffered enough. But we cannot help Palestinians attain peace and prosperity if Iran and Hamas are big players in the region. They will sour it all. And let us not forget the heinous crimes that Hamas committed against the Israelis in 2023. – © Mark Alexander

«C’est simplement de la cohérence» : Emmanuel Macron demande l’arrêt de livraison d’armes à Israël utilisées à Gaza

LE FIGARO : Le chef de l’État a par ailleurs déploré que la communauté internationale ne soit «pas entendue» par Benyamin Netanyahou et appelle à ne pas «sacrifier» le peuple libanais.

Dans une interview accordée à France Inter, Emmanuel Macron s'est prononcé samedi pour l'arrêt des livraisons d'armes à Israël qui sont utilisées dans le conflit à Gaza. «Je pense qu'aujourd'hui, la priorité, c'est qu'on revienne à une solution politique, qu'on cesse de livrer les armes pour mener les combats sur Gaza», a-t-il déclaré lors d'une émission spéciale sur la radio du service public consacrée à la francophonie, préenregistrée le 1er octobre. » | Par Le Figaro et AFP agence | samedi 5 octobre 2024

French Audit Cautions Élysée over €475k Cost of King Charles Dinner

THE GUARDIAN: Versailles banquet among lavish spending in 2023 that has plunged president’s office €8m into red

The Versailles banquet aimed to improve political ties, with dignitaries downing almost £36,000-worth of drinks. Photograph: Daniel Leal/AFP/Getty Images | Screenshot taken from the accompanying article
The French president’s office spent nearly €475,000 (£400,100) on a dinner for King Charles last year, the country’s top audit court said in a report cautioning about high spending.

In September 2023, King Charles attended a lavish state banquet at the Palace of Versailles attended by more than 150 people, part of a “soft power” visit aimed at improving ties between London and Paris.

The guests dined on lobster and crab, French poultry marinaded in champagne and a gratin of French ceps (a wild mushroom). Vintage wines and champagnes were on offer, while the dessert was a French macaron with lychee and rose sorbet and raspberry compote. » | Lili Bayer | Tuesday, July 30, 2024

The Center Collapses in France, Leaving Macron Marooned

THE NEW YORK TIMES: Squeezed by the far-right National Rally party and the left, President Emmanuel Macron faces a country that may prove ungovernable.

President Emmanuel Macron of France at a polling station in Le Touquet, northern France, on Sunday. | Pool photo by Yara Nardi
An era has ended in France.

The seven-year domination of national politics by President Emmanuel Macron was laid to rest by his party’s overwhelming defeat in the first round of parliamentary elections on Sunday. Not only did he dissolve Parliament by calling a snap vote, he effectively dissolved the centrist movement known as “Macronism.”

The far-right National Rally, in winning a third of the vote, did not guarantee that it will win an absolute majority in a runoff six days from now, although it will likely get close. But Mr. Macron, risking all by calling the election, did end up guaranteeing that he will be marginalized, with perhaps no more than a third of the seats his party now holds.

“The decision to dissolve the National Assembly has, in fact, put an end to the political configuration that emerged from the presidential election of 2017,” said Édouard Philippe, one of Mr. Macron’s former prime ministers.

In 2017, Mr. Macron, then 39, swept to power, eviscerating the center-right Gaullists and the center-left socialists, the pillars of postwar France, in the name of a 21st-century realignment around a pragmatic center. It worked for a while, but increasingly, as Mr. Macron failed to form a credible moderate political party, the result has been one man and a shrinking circle of allies standing against the extremes of right and left. » | Roger Cohen, Reporting from Paris | Monday, July 1, 2024

Le Pen Set to Humiliate Macron in French Elections

Jun 30, 2024 | Marine Le Pen’s National Rally and its allies could win control of the French parliament in a humiliation for President Macron, final polls indicate before the first round of voting on Sunday. This would open the way for her protégé, Jordan Bardella, 28, to become the country’s youngest prime minister after the run-off next Sunday, ushering in a period of so-called cohabitation that would curb Macron’s powers during the final three years of his presidency.

Polls Predict ‘Extremely Bad Result’ for Macron’s Centrist Party as National Rally ‘Widens Lead’

Jun 30, 2024 | “The National Rally has actually widened its lead over Macron’s party and its allies since the European elections.”

President Macron’s centrist political coalition is currently polling in third place, behind an alliance of leftist parties in second place and Marine Le Pen’s National Rally in first place, says The Times reporter David Chazan.

Will Macron’s Snap Election Gamble Backfire? | DW News

June 28, 2024 | France goes to the polls on Sunday in snap parliamentary elections. President Emmanuel Macron called the vote in response to his party's dismal showing in the European elections earlier this month. It's a gamble for Macron. He hopes to see off right-wing opponents - but may end up losing power. We spoke to DW’s correspondent Sonia Phalnikar in Paris about what's at stake for France.

France Is in Danger

OPINION : GUEST ESSAY
THE NEW YORK TIMES: Whatever happens next, it’ll go down as one of the wildest gambles in modern French history. President Emmanuel Macron’s decision to dissolve the National Assembly and hold snap legislative elections on June 30 and July 7 has given the far right its best shot at governing France for the first time since the Vichy regime of World War II.

The move stunned the country’s political class, including high-ranking Macronists from whom the president’s plans were reportedly heavily guarded. And for much of France, the decision remains perplexing. For those with the most to lose from the far right in power — above all, immigrants and the descendants of recent immigrants — the news is downright terrifying. Mr. Macron, who has a habit of disregarding conventional wisdom, will surely hope the move redounds to his benefit. But make no mistake: France is in danger. » | Cole Stangler | Mr. Stangler is a journalist based in France who writes about its politics and culture. | Thursday, June 13, 2024

Andrew Neil on the National Rally, Macron's Demise and a Populist Europe | SpectatorTV

Jun 8, 2024 | Andrew Neil joins Freddy Gray to discuss the rise of Marine Le Pen in the lead up the EU elections; how the right now appeals to the working class voter base; and what the EU elections could mean for British politics.

Les Républicains leader says he wants alliance with France’s far-right National Rally: Éric Ciotti’s announcement welcomed by Marine Le Pen as ‘brave choice’ but seen as betrayal by members of mainstream right »

Macron Gambles on Snap Election after European Defeat

President Macron's announcement came as a surprise, despite defeat in European elections | REUTERS
BBC: President Emmanuel Macron has called snap parliamentary elections later this month in the wake of a big victory for his rival Marine Le Pen's National Rally in the European Parliament vote.

The far-right party is on course to win 32% of the vote, exit polls say, more than twice that of the president's Renaissance party.

Announcing the dissolution of parliament, he said the two rounds of voting would take place on 30 June and 7 July, a few weeks before the Paris Olympics.

Mr Macron made the dramatic and surprise decision in a televised address from the Élysée Palace an hour after voting closed and exit polls had been declared in France's EU elections.

His decision came not long after National Rally's 28-year-old leader, Jordan Bardella, openly called on the president to call parliamentary elections. » | Hugh Schofield, BBC News, Paris | Sunday, June 9, 2024

Macron Calls Hamas Attacks ‘Biggest Antisemitic Massacre of Our Century’

THE GUARDIAN: President says ‘nothing can justify or excuse terrorism’, at Paris ceremony honouring French victims

The French president, Emmanuel Macron, has called the 7 October attacks by Hamas on Israel the “biggest antisemitic massacre of our century” as he led a ceremony paying tribute to the French victims.

Macron described the attacks by the Palestinian militant group as “barbarism … which is fed by antisemitism and propagates it”. He said: “We must fight against hatred, we must not give in to rampant, unbridled antisemitism. Nothing can justify or excuse terrorism.” » | Angelique Chrisafis in Paris | Wednesday, January 7, 2024

EU Must Defend Ukraine Even If US Reduces Military Support, Macron Says

THE GUADIAN: French president says future security architecture of Europe could no longer be settled by the US and Russia

The European Union has to make bold decisions to defend Ukraine, pre-empting any US decision to withhold or reduce its military support, Emmanuel Macron has said.

In a speech in Sweden, which hopes to be the next country to join Nato, the French president also said the future security architecture of Europe, including arms control agreements covering European territory, could no longer be settled simply by the US and Russia, and Europe had to have a right to determine its own future.

His remarks were designed as a warning to Europe that it needs to ramp up its whole defence effort and prepare for the possibility that either Joe Biden will be unable to push his military assistance budget for Ukraine through Congress, or that later in the year he is defeated in a presidential election by an isolationist Donald Trump. » | Patrick Wintour, Diplomatic editor | Tuesday, January 30, 2023

Hear! Hear! – © Mark Alexander

Wiederbewaffnung à la Macron

FRANKREICH
FRANKFURTER ALLGEMEINE ZEITUNG: Schuluniform, Nationalhymne, mehr Kinder und mehr Marschflugkörper für die Ukraine: Mit zahlreichen konservativen Maßnahmen will Präsident Macron ein „starkes Frankreich“ schaffen.

Die „Wiederbewaffnung“ ist das Lieblingswort des französischen Präsidenten. Zum Ende seiner mehr als zweistündigen Pressekonferenz im Elysée-Palast machte Emmanuel Macron klar, dass er nicht nur die französische Gesellschaft wehrhafter machen will. „Die russische Aggression gegen die Ukraine ist zweifellos die größte Bedrohung für Frankreich“, sagte Macron. Er kündigte die Lieferung von 40 weiteren Marschflugkörpern vom Typ SCALP an. Die vom europäischen Raketenkonsortium MBDA gebauten Raketen werden von der Ukraine bereits erfolgreich hinter den Frontlinien gegen russische Ziele eingesetzt, während die Bundesregierung zögert, die vergleichbaren Taurus-Marschflugkörper mit noch größerer Reichweite zu liefern.

Macron kündigte an, dass er im Februar nach Kiew reisen werde, um ein bilaterales Sicherheitsabkommen mit der Ukraine zu unterzeichnen. Alle G-7-Länder haben sich dazu verpflichtet, für Großbritannien hat der britische Premierminister Rishi Sunak seine Unterschrift bereits unter eine entsprechende Sicherheitsgarantie gesetzt. Macron sagte am Dienstagabend in Paris, dass Frankreich der Ukraine auch Hunderte Bomben liefern werde, ohne konkreter zu werden. Zudem soll die Produktion der Caesar-Haubitzen weiter hochgefahren werden, die bei den ukrainischen Truppen sehr beliebt sind. Die Haubitzen werden auf einem Allrad-Lkw montiert und sind beweglicher als die deutschen Panzerhaubitzen 2000. „Wir können Putin nicht erlauben, dass er siegt. Die Sicherheit Europas wäre dann kompromittiert“, warnte Macron. » | Von Michaela Wiegel, Paris | Mittwoch, 17. Januar 2024

Im Moment ist Zugang zu allen F+ Artikeln kostenfrei (statt 2,95 €). Diese Probezeit dauert 30 Tage. Bitte, klicken Sie hier, um von diesem Sonderangebot profitieren zu können.

Emmanuel Macron Appoints France’s Youngest Prime Minister

THE TELEGRAPH: Gabriel Attal, the 34-year-old education minister known as ‘Macron Boy’, succeeds the sacked Elisabeth Borne

Newly appointed Prime minister Gabriel Attal is welcomed by outgoing Prime minister Elisabeth Borne as he arrives for the handover ceremony in ParisCREDIT: EMMANUEL DUNAND/POOL/AFP via Getty Images
Emmanuel Macron has appointed a 34-year-old who made his name by banning Muslim abaya robes in schools as France’s youngest prime minister.

Gabriel Attal, the education minister, was chosen to breathe new life into the president’s flagging second term in office.

The move will not necessarily lead to any major political shift but signals Macron’s desire to try to move beyond last year’s unpopular pension and immigration reforms and improve his centrist party’s chances in June’s EU ballot.

Mr Attal, who has been called “Macron Boy”, is seen by some as a potential presidential candidate in 2027. He is the first openly gay prime minister. » | Telegraph’s Foreign Staff | Tuesday, January 9, 2024

LE MONDE : Gabriel Attal à Matignon, la promotion spectaculaire d’un fidèle du chef de l’Etat : Le ministre de l’éducation nationale, l’un des plus populaires du gouvernement, a été propulsé, mardi, à Matignon. Ancien socialiste, il avait rejoint Emmanuel Macron dès 2016. A 34 ans, il devient le plus jeune premier ministre de la Vᵉ République » [€]

FRANKFURTER ALLGEMEINE ZEITUNG : Gabriel Attal, ein Klon Macrons: Gabriel Attal tritt als jüngster Regierungschef an. Weitere Ähnlichkeiten mit dem Präsidenten sind gewollt. In Gestalt des 34 Jahre alten Gabriel Attal setzt der französische Präsident auf ein frisches, unverbrauchtes Gesicht an der Regierungsspitze. In den französischen Medien wird der neue Premierminister als politisches Wunderkind gefeiert. Attal hat bislang schlicht die Zeit gefehlt, sich in seinen Ämtern zu bewähren. Das Bildungsministerium hatte er erst im vergangenen Sommer übernommen. Er stellte sich mit dem Verbot der Abaja genannten islamischen Überkleider in den Klassenräumen vor. » [€]

THE GUARDIAN: Gabriel Attal appointed youngest French PM as Macron tries to revive popularity: Attal, 34, rose in opinion polls during his time as education minister and may improve ruling party’s chances in EU elections »

Who Is Gabriel Attal de Couriss? The French PM who climbed the ranks in record time?

Leasing social : Emmanuel Macron lance la voiture électrique à 100 euros par mois, découvrez comment en bénéficier

LE FIGARO : Le président vient de donner le go de cette promesse destinée à démocratiser l’achat d’un véhicule électrique. Elle sera proposée à moins de 25.000 personnes en 2024.

Après des mois de tergiversation sur les modalités du leasing social à 100 euros, une promesse de campagne d'Emmanuel Macron pour démocratiser l'achat d'un véhicule électrique, le président appuie sur le bouton. Dès vendredi, les personnes intéressées par cette mesure vont pouvoir vérifier sur la plateforme mon-leasing-electrique.gouv.fr créée tout spécialement s'ils sont éligibles ou pas à la location longue durée d'un véhicule à batterie, neuf ou d'occasion, qui coûterait environ 100 euros par mois hors assurance auto. Pour en bénéficier, les critères sont sélectifs : déclarer moins de 15.400 euros de revenus annuels par part fiscale, être un « gros rouleur » c'est-à-dire effectuer plus de 8000 kilomètres par an ou bien habiter à 15 kilomètres au moins de son lieu de travail. » | Par Valérie Collet | jeudi 14 décembre 2023

France to Ban Smoking on All Beaches in Effort to Create ‘Tobacco-free Generation’

GUARDIAN EUROPE: Public parks, forests and areas near schools will also become smoke-free as part of nationwide move

Two small parts of the beaches in Cannes are cigarette-free, but its mayor questioned the government’s smoking ban. Photograph: Sébastien Nogier/EPA
France is to ban smoking on all beaches, as well as in public parks, forests and near schools, after Emmanuel Macron promised to create “the first tobacco-free generation” by 2032.

“From now on, no-smoking areas will be the norm,” said the health minister, Aurélien Rousseau.

There are already 7,200 tobacco-free areas in France – including in Nice, on the French Riviera, which was the first to establish a cigarette-free beach in 2012 with the approval of France’s League Against Cancer.

The government said that instead of smoke-free areas being decided by individual local authorities, central government would introduce a nationwide ban. “We are now shifting the responsibility and establishing a principle which will become the rule,” Rousseau said.

Taxes on cigarettes will be increased, with a pack of 20, now priced at about €11 (£9.50), rising to €12 by 2025 and €13 the following year. » | Angelique Chrisafis in Paris | Tuesday, November 28, 2023

It was bad enough that the Anglo-Saxon world was working overtime to kill off the concept of joie de vivre; now, Macron’s government is also hell-bent on taking la joie out of la vie too! Clearly, the end is nigh for freedom in the West. Maybe Macron should think of changing the motto Liberté, Egalité, Fraternité into just Égalité, Fraternité, because liberty in France is clearly being eroded.

I think that this is a very unwise move on Macron’s part at this time because this could help sweep Marine Le Pen to power at the next election. Populists are already gaining strength right across the Continent anyway. This will surely help populist parties become even stronger. – © Mark Alexander

France urged to accept the science on how to stop smoking: France’s Parliamentary Office for Scientific and Technological Assessment has concluded that a drastic change in approach is required to get cigarette smokers to stop smoking, A report prepared by members of both chambers of the French Parliament recommends a risk reduction approach that offers smokers the chance to switch to much less harmful electronic cigarettes, writes Political Editor Nick Powell. »

Tabagisme : « Il faut avancer sur la voie de la réduction des risques » : Alors que les politiques publiques semblent perdre en efficacité avec le temps, des spécialistes des addictions appellent, dans une tribune au « Monde », à tenter une nouvelle stratégie d’accompagnement des fumeurs. »

Being that France (and other Western countries) are on a banning spree... just as smoking can cause cancer, so can drinking alcohol. So, why not ban alcohol, too? Why stop at smoking? Ban all sources of pleasure! Don't waste any time: Ban the bloody lot! Why not?

Alcohol and its link to cancer »

Joint statement by WHO/Europe and IARC to the European Parliament – raising awareness of the link between alcohol and cancer »

Ireland signs law requiring cancer warnings on all alcoholic beverages: The Irish government says the measure — opposed by drinks industry chiefs worldwide but cleared by EU and WTO regulators — will come into force in May 2026. »

Macron Plans to Make Freedom to Have an Abortion an 'Irreversible' Constitutional Right | DW News

Nov 2, 2023 | When the US Supreme Court overturned the constitutional right to abortion across the United States last year, the backlash around the world was fierce. But it's not just in the US that reproductive rights are under attack. In recent years, efforts to restrict access to legal and safe abortions have increased in Latin America as well as the EU. This trend has spurred authorities in France to move to enshrine the right to abortion in their constitution.

Over the weekend, President Emmanuel Macron tweeted "The draft constitutional law, which was based on the work of parliamentarians and associations, will be sent to the Council of State this week and presented to the Council of Ministers by the end of the year. In 2024, the freedom of women to have an abortion will be irreversible."

Emmanuel Macron is a real hero to enshrine this right into the French Constitution. Europe isn't the home of the Enlightenment for nothing. – © Mark Alexander

Emmanuel Macron to Enshrine Women’s Right to Abortion in France

GUARDIAN EUROPE: President promises by next year the constitutional right to choose ‘will become irreversible’

Macron will submit a draft to the highest administrative court next week. Photograph: Christophe Petit-Tesson/AFP/Getty Images
Emmanuel Macron has promised to enshrine a woman’s right to an abortion in the French constitution by next year, after restrictions in other countries propelled France on a path towards unconditionally guaranteeing abortion rights.

The French president said on Sunday that his government would submit a draft text to France’s highest administrative court over the coming week, with the aim of making abortion rights constitutional by the end of the year.

“In 2024, the right of women to choose abortion will become irreversible,” he wrote on social media. » | Angela Giuffrida and agencies | Sunday, October 29, 2023

Emmanuel Macron propose à Benyamin Nétanyahou que la coalition contre l’EI « puisse lutter aussi contre le Hamas »

LE MONDE : Lors d’une déclaration commune à Tel-Aviv, le chef de l’Etat français a fait valoir que la France était aux côtés d’Israël dans sa lutte contre ce « groupe terroriste ». Il a également insisté sur la nécessité d’une « relance décisive du processus politique avec les Palestiniens ».

Le premier ministre israélien, Benyamin Nétanyahou, et le président français, Emmanuel Macron, lors d’une conférence de presse conjointe à Jérusalem, le 24 octobre 2023. CHRISTOPHE ENA / AFP
« C’est une page noire de notre propre histoire » : Emmanuel Macron, en visite en Israël mardi 24 octobre, a exprimé avec émotion sa solidarité après l’attaque sanglante du Hamas, et proposé une « coalition » internationale pour « lutter » contre le mouvement islamiste palestinien qui contrôle la bande de Gaza.

Après un entretien avec le premier ministre israélien, Benyamin Nétanyahou, à Jérusalem, le président français a présenté les « condoléances » d’un « pays ami, éploré devant l’acte terroriste le plus terrible de votre histoire et saisi par votre chagrin et votre douleur ». « Je vous apporte aujourd’hui l’émotion et la solidarité des Français. Nos deux pays sont liés par le même deuil », a-t-il ajouté, le ton grave, au côté M. Nétanyahou. » | Le Monde avec AFP | mardi 24 octobre 2023

France proposes widening anti-Islamic State coalition to fight Hamas: Emmanuel Macron visits Israel and emphasises ‘common enemy’ in terrorism »

Macron Says Israel Must Fight Hamas ‘Without Mercy but Not Without Rules’: The French president also suggested that the international coalition once deployed to fight the Islamic State could also fight Hamas. »