" End of mission.
5 days.
26 hours live.
1 new president ”, wrote on Twitter Maxime Switek, Sunday afternoon.
This is how the new BFMTV recruit sums up his Washington coverage of the US election.
A first for the ex-columnist of “C à vous” which earned him the score of 5/5 from Anne-Elisabeth Lemoine, at the head of the successful talk show of France 5. “Bravo Maxime Switek.
Extremely excellent during this long American night.
Even Patrick Cohen was in admiration, ”she wrote on the social network.
End of mission.
5 days.
26 hours live.
1 new president. # Bfmtv pic.twitter.com/krQW14RK1k
- Maxime Switek (@MaximeSwitek) November 8, 2020
But of this long marathon, the history of television will perhaps retain only one sequence.
Or rather a live hazard that turned into a fifteen-second intercontinental viral video, where Maxime Switek interviews a pro-Biden, very euphoric.
In particular, it was taken up by several American media, which conducted the investigation and participated in its extraordinary exhibition: the extract has exceeded 9 million views.
“It's completely insane, tells us Maxime Switek, who has just landed in Paris.
It really is a surprise.
At the time, we did not realize the impact that this sequence could have.
"
I cry pic.twitter.com/e35nw2BQaa
- Pierre Le Texier (@pierre_lt) November 7, 2020
Saturday, 2.32 p.m. in Washington, 8:32 p.m. in France.
The presenter Ronald Guintrange holds the antenna of BFMTV, a few hours after the announcement of the victory of Joe Biden over Donald Trump.
He then launches Maxime Switek, who interviews on the spot a certain “Meka”, who took to the streets to celebrate the victory of the Democratic candidate, like so many others.
He announces that he is on his eleventh bottle of alcohol and that he still has two more, but it doesn't show.
"I hope there will be more democracy," testifies this happy American.
[…] Donald Trump is gone, that's very good.
[…] This wait for results has been very long.
In five days, I aged a decade.
The exchange, rather banal, lasts three minutes.
“We had discussed before the air and he was not drunk at all, says Switek.
On the contrary, his joy was touching.
"
"There was apparently nothing crazy"
But Meka, shirtless, suddenly takes the microphone, much more euphoric than before.
Rubbing shoulders with the presenter of BFMTV, he then proclaims his love for France which he finds "beautiful", the snails he has already tasted, the croissants and especially the "cheese omelettes" (in fact, a reference to a episode of the cartoon "Dexter's laboratory", broadcast on Cartoon Network), causing a giggle from Maxime Switek, who deviates a few meters.
Before being relaunched by Ronald Guintrange from Paris, as if nothing had happened.
"Interviews with Democratic voters, we actually have dozens during the day," continues the special envoy.
Apparently it wasn't crazy.
"
Except for some French viewers who immediately relay the sequence worthy of a blooper on social networks.
This is the case of Pierre Le Texier, communicator of the delegation of European deputies of the Renaissance group to 9000 subscribers, whose post is retweeted 32,000 times (including by Maxime Switek) and liked 81,000 times.
The effect is such that it then rushes to the United States.
"Honestly, this video is better than all the episodes of the series Emily in Paris", comments, for example, a certain Raki.
Until she landed on Rex Chapman's news feed.
This former glory of American basketball comments with “laughing” smileys on this video and in turn transfers it to his subscribers, more than 1 million.
"A few hours later, an American friend, who lives in New York, tells me about the sequence," says the new French star of social networks.
She asks me if it's really me behind the mask and tells me that here, it buzzes thoroughly.
To describe BFMTV, some Americans even compare our channel to a French CNN.
"
"Crazy fun in the field"
Meka's performance with the French journalist then captured the attention of several US media, including the BuzzFeeed News site and that of Forbes magazine, which conducted the investigation to find the now famous pro-Biden interviewed on BFMTV: he is this is Meka Anyanetu, 30, who learned French at the University and had planned to travel to France before the Covid-19 epidemic.
“To read the reactions, this video was good for many people, adds Maxime Switek, who received many messages, including one amused by the comedian Jérôme Commandeur.
There is nothing serious, no dumpling.
It's just two people who didn't know each other two minutes before and laugh on the air.
"
Newsletter - Most of the news
Every morning, the news seen by Le Parisien
I'm registering
Your email address is collected by Le Parisien to enable you to receive our news and commercial offers.
Learn more
After this media frenzy, Maxime Switek, who "took a lot of pleasure in the field", will especially remember the large device set up by BFMTV, "without a technical bug", which he describes as "a war machine" and insists on highlighting the work of the channel's two correspondents: Cédric Faiche and Jean-Bernard Cadier.
VIDEO. "Cheese omelette": Maxime Switek recounts his giggles during a duplex with an American
He will also keep in memory “the immense general joy of the voters who voted Democratic in the streets of Washington”: “Until Saturday, the city was ghostly and we saw a cover lifted with the victory of Biden.
For a large part, it had become unthinkable, even painful to be represented by Trump.
They were fed up with seeing their president's latest follies on Twitter.
Now, it will be difficult for his successor to bring everyone together, especially the 71 million Americans who voted Trump.
It's quite a challenge.
"
In the meantime, Maxime Switek is at rest.
For only 24 hours, barely time to come down from the cloud.
Tuesday evening, he will resume the antenna of "22H Max".
And on Thursday, he will present a new number of “Face à BFM”, with Jean-Luc Mélenchon as a guest.
Last question to a Switek, in the middle of jet-lag: does he dream of a career in the United States?
Answer: "Oh no, at all".