Emmanuel Macron on TF1: most of his statements
In summary
- For nearly two hours the President of the Republic endeavored to shine the balance sheet of his action. Economic: with one million jobs created, despite the health crisis. And a purchasing power which, according to him, has increased for the poorest, the richest but especially for the middle classes. He praised his reforms in education such as the duplication of CP classes in certain priority neighborhoods. And the “learning revolution”.
-Emmanuel Macron conceded "errors" on the timing and accumulation of the measures that triggered the yellow vests crisis. He made a mea culpa on his small sentences, in particular the one concerning “people who are nothing”. And conceded to have sometimes been "hard and impetuous" after having nevertheless extolled the benefits of benevolence when he was a candidate.
-As expected, the Head of State did not announce his presidential candidacy, but he maintained a false suspense which leaves no doubt about his decision to run again: "a country does not reform in five years he repeated several times. Other clues: his desire to make the pension reform that he considers impossible to implement by April. And his declaration of love to the country: "I loved France and today I love it even more madly" and to the French, made with tremolos in his voice.
Dec 15, 2021 11:21 PMNo declaration of candidacy, but a declaration of love to the French. Lyrical as usual, the Head of State delivered at the end of the interview to a declaration of love in order, which smells of the presidential campaign. "I loved France and today I love it even more madly," he said, his voice deep, the pace slowed. “I like the French and the French women.” Shortly before, when he was asked if five years at the head of the country had changed him, he replied in the same vein "I learned alongside the French, no doubt to love them better". He nevertheless conceded: after “talking a lot about benevolence. I was sometimes hard and impetuous”.
Dec 15, 2021 11:06 PMCandidate ? Definitely, but not right away. The question was expected, it has necessarily been asked: is Emmanuel Macron a candidate for a second term? And there too, as expected, the President did not wish to answer clearly. If he recognizes "an ambition for the country and a desire to do" he assures "that as we speak to each other I still have to make difficult decisions or assume my function". And to add: "I am consolidating a few elements before giving you a firm answer" leaving only the doubt of the date so. Before maintaining a false suspense by affirming: "I am not here to retain power", "there is a life before and a life after". And to remind the French people he described as “tired” by the endless health crisis: “what we have experienced together is unforgettable”.
Dec 15, 2021 11:04 PMThe big replacement? "He is not there". When some on the far right or even on the right invoke the great replacement at all costs, Emmanuel Macron disputes it. "On the phenomena you have to look at the figures and listen to the demographers […] the great replacement is not there" he assures. On immigration the question, for him, is to know how one learns to limit it. "If immigration increases it is because traffickers are better organized and because of political crises." For the President, the double challenge is to "better break traffic" and "better protect our common borders by creating a political Schengen" or even "by helping transit countries". “We will need this limited immigration, chosen to run our economy,” he concludes in opposition to the principle of zero immigration supported by the right and the far right.
Dec 15, 2021 10:58 PMMacron and foreign policy. Asked about the submarine crisis, the head of state quickly explained the attitude of the Americans and Australians. This episode, he said, “It's a forfeiture. The Australians have done us the wrong way, industrial and strategic”. To respond to criticism of the loss of French influence on the international scene, Emmanuel Macron underlined that "the power of a nation and its rank cannot be judged by the yardstick of an arms contract, [d' ]an industrial contract”. As proof, he added, the record contract of Rafales signed at the beginning of December with the United Arab Emirates.
Dec 15, 2021 10:38 PMThe Hulot affair and the liberation of women's speech. In 2018, the short-lived magazine Ebdo broke the Hulot affair accused of having raped a young woman in the 90s. Very quickly the former TF1 host then Minister for Ecological Transition was supported by the entire government. “At that time, I did as always when there are accusations against a minister, I saw Nicolas Hulot, he denied it forcefully […] He remained minister because what other choice would we have- could we do?” questions Emmanuel Macron insisting on the fact that the complaint against his minister had been dismissed. "I have no regrets, we can't know everything," he continues. The Head of State also says he supports the liberalization of the speech of assaulted women in a "at the same time" which combines "respect for the presumption of innocence" but also the fact that women must be believed, especially when they file a complaint.
Dec 15, 2021 10:30 PMwealth tax and purchasing power. "The richest as well as the poorest have had a purchasing power which has increased", argued Macron, defending himself from having carried out an economic policy favoring the wealthiest. But according to him, it is the middle classes who have seen their purchasing power “the most increase”. Even if, he acknowledges, that of the wealthiest has also experienced a significant increase due, in particular, to the abolition of the Solidarity Tax on Wealth (ISF) "Why the wealthiest have a purchasing power that has increases ? Because we have set up a system for them to reinvest, that is to say the 30% tax on investment, on capital and the abolition of part of the wealth tax. I fully accept it.” The rich? “They left, went to invest elsewhere”, at the time when this tax introduced under Mitterrand was in force, he persists. Today, he defends, "they create companies, allow us to reindustrialize". And to unfold: “We cannot build an economic force and a great nation if we do not have women and men who invest in companies”. Conclusion: “I assume this policy which has borne fruit”.
Dec 15, 2021 10:22 PMThe pension reform of the future candidate? “Not exactly the same” but “we need to work longer”. Asked about the pension reform, Macron says that the timing in recent months has not been good, given the health crisis. "This reform is essential," he said, however. Will she be hired in 2022, if he is re-elected? “We need to carry out this reform,” he assured, but “not exactly the same as the one that was started” at the start. “It is clear that we have to work longer,” he said. But "working longer does not mean the same reality for everyone," he explains, without detailing what could be akin to a different retirement age depending on the difficulty of the trades. Regarding social systems, he assures us that “we must simplify our rules”, by moving towards three major systems.
Dec 15, 2021 10:15 PMYellow Vests: Macron recognizes responsibilities in the Yellow Vests crisis. From October 2018, several thousand French people find themselves in the streets every Saturday to protest against the increase in fuel prices and against the drop in purchasing power. "You always have a responsibility when you are responsible , I'm not going to say that I had nothing to do with it" assures Emmanuel Macron, recognizing that "mistakes have been made". For the Head of State, the start of the crisis is explained by an accumulation of several measures such as the limitation of 80 km / h or the increase in the price of gasoline. “It happened like a gravelotte on our compatriots”, he explains in a very Macronnian formula. The President also returned to the violence from the ranks of the yellow vests which punctuated certain demonstrations: "this period was a very hard period", he affirms. "I was touched when the triumphal arch been defiled […] I felt the disarray in the country […] I saw the concern of some to see people they meet become violent”. The head of state is not revived on police violence, by the two journalists from TF1.
Dec 15, 2021 10:12 PMAnd the French, what do they remember? In front of images showing men and women commenting on his balance sheet and having difficulty retaining a flagship reform, Emmanuel Macron assumes. “I am not sure that we should look for a symbolic reform”, he declared, before unfolding the major issues of the world, ecological, digital, geopolitical… Would the Head of State rather be a “ manager” at Merkel, questions a journalist: “We have to make strong decisions which are sometimes difficult”, he replied. “I try to do it by explaining it, sometimes by coming back to it several times”. The president then engaged in a long defense of school reforms, such as the splitting of CP classes in certain districts. “This revolution in education and learning […] began during his five-year term. In the years to come, this is essential.” The pension reform, which should precisely have been its "symbolic reform", had to be abandoned. Macron still considers “that it is essential”: “if there had not been the epidemic in the winter of 2020, this reform would have come to an end, that is obvious. We need to carry out this reform”. He had also used 49.3 to advance it in force in parliament.
Dec 15, 2021 10:03 PMMacron the revolutionary? Asked about the title of his programmatic book, "Revolution", the Head of State assumes his assessment, in particular on economic subjects: "We have shaken up habits, things which seemed irreformable, postponed for so and so long" , he unfolded. And to argue, concerning the economy, the creation of "more than a million jobs, despite these two enormous crises". Before quoting, pell-mell: the reform of apprenticeship, the creation of businesses... Yes, assures Macron, a "revolution" is underway, "both in the texts but also a cultural reform, which is that of the taste for risk”. Does he intend to maintain this course? "Something is changing, we must continue to support, to bring about this possible future," he said. Understood: with him.
Dec 15, 2021 9:57 PMThe Benalla affair: not a "state affair", but "a summer affair" he persists. The revelation of the role of Alexandre Benalla, a close collaborator of the Head of State, during a demonstration on May 1, had shaken the Castle. “We talked about a state affair, it was probably a summer affair,” Macron repeated on TF1. Benalla was he too covered by the head of state? "I don't think so, but neither did I treat him recklessly." Recognizing a "very painful, difficult moment" of his five-year term, the President does not change his line: "Alexandre Benalla was not protected beyond what should be", he judged, in citing the administrative sanction, the exclusion and then the conviction of the former collaborator of the Elysée. “It has been established that there was no parallel case,” he concluded.
Dec 15, 2021 9:56 PMDec 15, 2021 9:54 PM
Mea culpa on small sentences. "I have learned". After a best-of of his most controversial phrases (lazy people, those who are nothing, crossing the street) Emmanuel Macron indulged in a kind of mea culpa. "Certainly not no," he replies when asked if he would rephrase things the same way. "There are words that can hurt and that's unacceptable, respect is part of political life, and I learned that afterwards," he explains, putting this down to "a desire to shake things up, to transgress". According to Macron, the time also has something to do with it: “I did not measure the society of decontextualization enough. You say two words, we take them out of context, they appear awful,” he considers. The sentence he regrets the most? The one on “successful people and those who are nothing” delivered in front of entrepreneurs during the inauguration of Station F on June 29, 2017.
Dec 15, 2021 9:52 PMLiberal or socialist during the health crisis? Asked about the economic “whatever the cost” put in place during these two years of pandemic, the Head of State denied having drawn a series of aid measures. Partial unemployment, business aid, solidarity fund for traders… “The result is there: today we have an unemployment rate at its lowest for 15 years”, he assured. This crisis, he continued, “it undoubtedly made me touch more directly the more unbearable inequalities that can exist”. "I lived some very memorable moments for me," he said, in a deliberately serious voice. As during a visit to Seine-Saint-Denis, during confinement, after which he decided to reopen the schools, in May 2020. Or in Mulhouse, with caregivers. “I saw in these moments the injustices that there are in our country and the strength of some women and some men who we must help in these moments”, formulated Emmanuel Macron. What to get rid of the costume of "president of the rich"? “We have the right not to be the caricature in which we want to lock you up, he replied. I know where I come from and what my values are”.
Dec 15, 2021 9:45 PMThe health crisis has changed him. "I do not measure the sense of urgency before the crisis," explained the head of state. “When you are going through such a major crisis, you owe everything. People turn to you saying why this? Why that ?" An observation that any newly elected deputy quickly draws up, but here is the head of state had a lightning political career before his accession to the Elysée and this is his first term. “When it comes to the life of the nation, it is good that there is someone who decides. I like to decide by understanding”.
Dec 15, 2021 9:37 PMOn the hospital, an autosatisfecit with a flat. “I am putting an end to 15 years of efforts where we always asked more of the hospital staff”. Asked about the critical situation of the hospital, the President of the Republic sends himself his first flowers of the evening. “We are leaving with investments in 2018”, he boasts before qualifying: “Probably too little”. Macron then embarks on an assessment of his Ségur de la Santé, a reform according to him without equivalent since the creation of the public hospital. “It led to salary increases of at least 183 euros per month”. For the future ? "We must succeed in changing the organization of the hospital, giving more responsibilities to caregivers, rehumanizing these tasks that have been too bureaucratized over time".
Dec 15, 2021 9:31 PMAfter two years of pandemic, a “permanent control” society? The Head of State prefers to speak of a “vigilance society”. Taking stock of these two years of health crisis, Macron assures us that “each time, we have acted as citizens”. “We have always debated democratically”, he thus assured, about the texts of laws relating to the state of health emergency. Faced with the succession of epidemic peaks, “many of our compatriots are tired”, recognizes the President. And to add, as the fifth wave breaks: “We have better control of the situation than a year ago”. In particular thanks to the vaccination coverage. Asked about the management of the crisis, and in particular about the failures of the health system, Macron defends his action: “Name me a country which, in the winter of 2020, does not confine. There are not any". But what about the shortage of masks at the start of the pandemic? "Yes, we found ourselves helpless," he said, in the form of a very small mea culpa, regretting France's "dependence" on France. regard to 'globalization'. "I'm not going to rewrite history," he concluded. It's easy to win the trifecta with the results of the races.
Dec 15, 2021 9:29 PMVaccination of children “desirable” but not compulsory. “We see that it is a virus that turns a lot in children but it is up to the parents to decide” explains Emmanuel Macron. While the incidence rate is increasing particularly in children, the Head of State considers that vaccinating 5-11 year olds is something “desirable”. On the other hand, there is no question, therefore, of making this vaccination compulsory.
Dec 15, 2021 9:26 PMVaccine, health pass and barrier gestures. Asked at the start of the program about the Covid-19, the President of the Republic repeated the crisis management strategy put in place for several months. A strategy based on three pillars: “vaccination […] the health pass (deemed “very effective”) and respect for barrier gestures”. On vaccination, the Head of State assures that each Frenchman who wishes it will have access to his booster dose “everything will be put in place for that […] it is a rule of collective organization” he affirms adding to want to continue to convince the 5 million unvaccinated French people.
Dec 15, 2021 9:25 PMThe one who dictates the rhythm and the rules is the virus. Emmanuel Macron is forced to admit at the start of the program a form of helplessness in the face of covid19, explaining: “The one who dictates the rhythm and the rules is the virus.” Last March, the President of the Republic already let go, almost fatalistic: “The master of time is the virus, unfortunately. We are living it.” He who considered himself before the pandemic as “the master of the clocks”, is therefore, almost two years after the start of the pandemic, to draw up this observation: “We find the humility which goes with our condition”.
Dec 15, 2021 9:13 PMWhy did you agree to this debate? To this first question Emmanuel Macron replies: “I think it is useful, and at this time when the year is turning on its hinges it is good to see where the country is”. The idea, according to the Head of State, is “to try to recapitulate the progress made and what our country, Europe, is heading towards. See if we lose track sometimes. Perhaps we let ourselves get lost in debates that are less important than others”. Will he answer all questions from journalists, he who dodged this exercise for almost the entire five-year term? “You are journalists, we are in a democracy and proud of it”. Asked about the overall assessment of his mandate, he continues: “Our people have gone through moments of economic, sporting, artistic success [….] and moments of anguish, especially with this epidemic. Our time is marked by a kind of return of the tragedy of history”.
Dec 15, 2021 9:10 PMThe CSA will review the interview. Despite the various formal notices from Valérie Pécresse, Jean-Luc Mélenchon and Yannick Jadot, the Superior Audiovisual Council (CSA) refused to block the presidential interview to prevent its broadcast. On the other hand, the Superior council of audio-visual "will carry out the analysis of the program in order to determine the share of the speaking time of the president of the Republic likely to be deducted under the national political debate", he said. declared in letters quoted by BFMTV. It would perhaps have been quicker for them to examine the speaking time likely to be attributed to a Head of State than to a candidate.
Dec 15, 2021 8:28 PMMacron will answer questions from six children on RTL on Friday. Decidedly, nothing stops him. After giving a press conference on Europe last Thursday and having recorded a river program on his five-year work which will be broadcast this evening on TF1, Emmanuel Macron has, reveals Le Point, recorded this afternoon a sequence for RTL which will be aired Friday at 7:15 p.m. on the program Ils refont la France. According to the weekly, the President answers questions for about thirty minutes from six children aged 8 to 11 on subjects such as his candidacy and OM.
Dec 15, 2021 8:16 PM“president-candidate” for a few more weeks. Between trips to the regions and the return of interviews with journalists, there is no longer any doubt that Emmanuel Macron is now campaigning. One question remains: when will he formalize his candidacy? One thing is certain: it will not be tonight. On the other hand, he could give some details on the period in which he could make his official statement. It shouldn't be for a few weeks. As a reminder, in 1981, Valéry Giscard d'Estaing had waited for March 2. In 1988, François Mitterrand had declared himself on March 22 when Jacques Chirac and Nicolas Sarkozy had preferred the month of February by making their candidacies official on February 11, 2002 for the first and on February 15, 2012 for the second.
Dec 15, 2021 8:10 PMLFI and EE-LV will boycott the debrief. Faced with criticism from other candidates on the lack of equity in speaking time, TF1 thought it had found the martingale. The first channel has invited the various presidential candidates (or their representatives) to comment on the President's interview in the second part of the evening, but it will be without the rebellious and the ecologists. On Twitter, Jean-Luc Mélenchon's campaign manager Manuel Bompard said that no member of LFI will go there. “We cannot accept a parody of democratic debate: while Emmanuel Macron refuses any contradictory debate with the other candidates, the latter are therefore reduced to the role of simple commentators on the speech of the presidential monarch” he writes. On RTL, the green candidate Yannick Jadot does not say anything else: "We are not in a Banana Republic, in a dictatorship where the President speaks alone in front of journalists for 2 hours and the other candidates have the right to comment" he castigated.
Dec 15, 2021 8:06 PMSurf the fifth wave. Emmanuel Macron will necessarily talk about covid19 during the show. But the head of state did not know, at the time of his registration on Sunday afternoon, that he would be forced to convene an emergency health defense council on Friday, in the face of worrying figures. While the fifth wave of Covid19 seems to be gaining momentum in France, with an average of 48,000 new cases per day, the government anticipates that the number of patients in intensive care should reach 4,000 at the time of the holidays. To avoid saturation of hospitals, white plans are in place in many regions, but will that be enough? In recent weeks, the Elysée Palace has taken care to suspend Emmanuel Macron's candidacy due to the epidemic situation in France. “The health context encourages humility as things move quickly. The truths of one day are not the certainties of tomorrow. It is possible that he will not show up if there is a huge health problem”, even dared an adviser to the head of state. A hypothesis that is all the less credible since the management of the Covid is rather credited so far to the Head of State, – who enjoys a stable popularity rating of 42% favorable opinion according to BVA for RTL in november.
Dec 15, 2021 8:03 PMThe ambiguous status of incumbent presidents, a recurring subject of presidential campaigns. Nicolas Sarkozy had not escaped this, seeing his movements and his media appearances criticized in the same tone by his adversaries. After a major television interview, in January 2012, i.e. after the official start of the campaign (which is not the case for Macron, the starting signal being this year set for the end of December - beginning of January) the president at the time had also received the support of… Valérie Pécresse, then Budget Minister and government spokesperson. “I know it must be frustrating for presidential candidates to present programs and not yet have an opponent, but that time will come, that time of confrontation, she assured France Inter. With 150,000 more unemployed, can we afford not to act, to mix things up?”
Dec 15, 2021 8:02 PMThe Head of State will reveal to the duo of interviewers Audrey Crespo-Mara and Darius Rochebin his tops and his flops of the mandate. From the Alexandre Benalla affair in 2017 – his former adviser who was also arrested on Tuesday morning and whose police custody was extended this Wednesday – to his management of the Covid-19 pandemic, from pension reform to the Hulot affair, of certain little phrases, which he has sometimes already regretted publicly – as when he explained in September 2018 to a young man who was looking for work: “I cross the street and I find you some” – to the revolt of the yellow vests: almost everything should go through.
Dec 15, 2021 7:01 PMAfter the show “Where is France going?”, the book “Ma France”. Emmanuel Macron sows stones on the way to his campaign, as he will do tonight on TF1. There will be others. Gibert's site has revealed that in February, Editions de l'Aube will publish a book entitled "Ma France" and signed... Emmanuel Macron. It will in fact be a compilation of interviews between the Head of State and Éric Fottorino in 1 Hebdo, Légende and Zadig. The Head of State and the journalist had in particular engaged in a long conversation in this last review last May and already entitled “My France”. The Head of State delivered there the contours of “his sensitive map between two poles which are Amiens and the Pyrenees, then a third pole which is Paris.” The Elysée ensures that it has nothing to do with this project. Even if the entourage of the head of state has nothing against it. Without surprise.
