Emmanuel Macron is “meeting the nation” and the French this Tuesday, January 16, at 8:15 p.m., to clarify his course and reestablish his authority after a very political reshuffle and before the European elections.
He appointed a Prime Minister and weighed heavily on the composition of the reshuffle, he now wants to address the French. Emmanuel Macron had promised a “meeting with the nation” and that moment has come. The Head of State will therefore try to regain control, halfway through his second five-year term, and lay the groundwork for the policies and measures to come in 2024, a pivotal year between the European elections and the organization of the Olympic Games in France, with a long speech, this Tuesday, January 16, at 8:15 p.m.
During a press conference which must last at least an hour and a half, if not more, and be broadcast on TF1, France 2 and the continuous news channels, the President of the Republic will stop on numerous subjects and make announcements, according to a promise from the Elysée. The presidential palace, however, keeps the substance of the head of state’s speech secret.
A press conference to “re-presidentialize” yourself
This press conference is the perfect opportunity for Emmanuel Macron to take back control and return to the classics of presidential communication. While the new Prime Minister Gabriel Attal continues to travel, the head of state must reaffirm his authority. Unlike Élisabeth Borne, the president now finds himself with a highly media-focused head of government. Without casting a shadow on it, it still manages to capture the light. With five trips in five days, the latter is hyperactive and intends to meet the French without restraint. This press conference should therefore be the means for Emmanuel Macron to “represidentialize” himself, to establish his authority over the new government and to assert his stature in a second five-year term that is, to say the least, eventful.
Setting the new course after the appointment of Gabriel Attal
By this speech, the President of the Republic also wishes to breathe new life into his second five-year term, after the adoption, not without difficulty, of the immigration bill in December 2023. He should in particular address the new course that he intends to give to his policy after having promised “rearmament” and “regeneration” during his New Year’s Eve greetings. Announcements concerning reforms cannot be excluded and a calendar of major upcoming texts such asIVG or end of life could be specified. The head of state will not escape questions about his new government after a much-discussed reshuffle with few but very noticeable changes. His reaction to the controversy over the Minister of National Education and Sports, Amélie Oudéa-Castera is eagerly awaited. It should also answer broad questions about current events and France’s place internationally. He will then interact with his guests.
Relaunch the majority before the Europeans
In the short term, the government’s course is aligned with the objective of winning the European elections. This press conference could therefore further mark the entry into campaign of the presidential majority which is significantly behind the National Rally, leading the polls with more than 10 points ahead according to the latest studies. But the match promises to be close for the presidential camp which does not yet have a head of list and which could lose some of its voters disappointed by the turn to the right taken by the government during the reshuffle.
With such a prime time meeting, Emmanuel Macron wants to reach as many people as possible. His last comparable press conference dates back to April 25, 2019 after the Yellow Vest crisis. The next day, Wednesday January 17, the new ministers will be brought together by Gabriel Attal at 5 p.m. in Matignon for a working seminar. An interview intended to make it possible to prepare the general policy declaration (DPG) of the head of government which he will deliver before Parliament. For the moment, no date has been made official for this DPG.