French President Emmanuel Macron Sets Sights on Being Leader of the Free World
- French President Emmanuel Macron Sets Sights on Being Leader of the Free World
by Nearing 100 days in office, Macron’s key ambition seems to be casting himself as a master negotiator in a new world where all roads lead to Paris.
PARIS—Emmanuel Macron is a master of persuasion.
In his youth, he seduced his married high school drama teacher, the woman who is now his wife. In middle age, with no government experience, he cajoled a sitting president into giving him a coveted cabinet position. Then — with no support from any established political party — he dazzled a nation, becoming, at 39, the youngest-ever president of France, a country where tradition is a way of life.
–
Nearly 100 days into Macron’s presidency, there are already indications that the French are increasingly skeptical of their new president. While a majority still approve of him, Macron’s initially sky-high approval rating dropped by 10 per cent this month, mostly because of his refusal to back down on commitments to slash government spending. He has also come under fire for failing to aid migrants, sparred with France’s chief military officer, who later resigned, and pushed to expand the state’s powers to fight terrorism in ways that critics fear will permanently curtail civil liberties.
end