Michel Barnier has just been appointed Prime Minister by Emmanuel Macron. In recent years, he has been given a few mocking nicknames.
Michel Barnier has just been appointed Prime Minister by Emmanuel Macron, almost two months after the legislative elections. A member of the Republicans party, he presents himself as a social Gaullist. While his nomination has received a great deal of support on the right and now seems to be unanimous among LR figures, he has not always been very popular within his political family. Quite the opposite.
During the 2022 primaries, while he was running for the LR nomination for the 2022 presidential election, Michel Barnier had taken some flak. He was notably criticized as someone “boring”. “He doesn’t put any substance into what he says. He’s such a pain, he’s a nightcap,” an LR executive lamented at the time to the Parisian. “He has no sense of humour, even Chirac said so!” sighed another. A fault that Michel Barnier himself attested to at the time: “I know that I am so serious that sometimes people find me boring.”
He was also given an unflattering nickname: “the idiot of the Alps.” According to The Timethis nickname was given to him following his mountain origins. Born in La Tronche, in Isère, he served several terms as a deputy of Savoie. As for “cretin”, part of the justification comes from the denigration he received from the political class for not having gone through the ENA. According to The Worldhis personality would also have played a role: “his lack of charisma, mixed with a certain stiffness and his touchy side”, mocked a member of his political family.
“The French Joe Biden”
At 73 years old, the nickname that comes up the most is that of the “French Joe Biden”, in reference to his white hair and his slender appearance, reminiscent of the physique of the American president. He has just become the oldest Prime Minister of the Fifth Republic, largely beating Pierre Bérégovoy appointed at 66 by François Mitterrand. However, he succeeds the youngest head of government, Gabriel Attal.
Will Michel Barnier see all these nicknames and the criticisms associated with them resurface in his new position? The politician nevertheless has a long experience behind him. He has been in government several times, in different ministries: Agriculture, Environment and Foreign Affairs. He is also known for his role as chief negotiator of the European Union during the Brexit discussions, where he distinguished himself by his firmness.