Emmanuel Macron, omnipresent during the Olympics despite the “political truce”, annoys the opposition
Emmanuel Macron announced on July 22 an “Olympic and political truce” for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. However, his omnipresence during the competitions did not escape criticism, particularly from the opposition.
An omnipresent President
Despite promising to stay away and adopt a spectator posture, Emmanuel Macron has been very visible since the start of the Games. Those around him even spoke of an “impressionist presence in the stands”. In fact, he was extremely active, visiting Olympic sites and congratulating medal-winning athletes.
On Friday, he visited six different sites in half a day, ranging from Paris La Defense Arena in Nanterre to greet Léon Marchand in Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines to celebrate the French triple in BMX. “After two consecutive electoral failures, Emmanuel Macron is trying to treat himself to a popularity cure during these Olympics. A simple political recovery that no one seems to ignore. Including athletes…” denounced Hélène Laporte on X.
An Attitude Deemed Inappropriate
In addition to his activism, it is the president's tactile attitude that has sparked criticism. Sandrine Rousseau, environmentalist MP, described his actions as “embarrassing” and “inappropriate” after seeing him cuddle Teddy Riner, rugby player Antoine Dupont, and trying to dry the tears of judoka Romane Dicko. Alexandre Eyries, teacher researcher in information and communication sciences, recalls that this is not the first time that Macron has been criticized for his tactile side, evoking a precedent with Kylian Mbappé after France's defeat in the final of the football World Cup.
A delayed choice of Prime Minister
The opposition also criticizes Emmanuel Macron for delaying the appointment of a new Prime Minister. Ersilia Soudais, a rebellious MP, accuses Macron of using the Olympics to distract attention from his political defeat and to drag out changes to the government. Gabriel Attal and his resigned government remained in charge during this period, which further irritated the opposition. “We can't talk politics but he can exploit every success,” regrets MEP Manon Aubry.
Presence on social networks
Emmanuel Macron has also attracted criticism for his complacency on social media. He congratulated the French champions with puns on Instagram: “Marchand de rêve” for Léon Marchand and “Once ippon a time, Teddy Winner!” » for Teddy Riner. Alexandre Eyries interprets this strategy as an attempt to recover the popularity of the victories of French athletes. However, he warns that this “enchanted parenthesis” will not last, and that the usual political quarrels will resume as soon as the Olympic Games end.
Alice Leroy
