Between them, everything had - almost - started well. In September 2014, when Emmanuel Macron was appointed Minister of Economy for François Hollande, he met Ségolène Royal, his environment counterpart who signed his big comeback in politics six months earlier.
“The mayonnaise quickly caught in between. She was seduced by the talent and the interpersonal skills of this ambitious young minister. And he has always loved Ségolène's freedom of tone and willingness to transgress, ”says a mutual friend.
So much so that the future presidential candidate multiplies the winks to the socialist. Same reference to Joan of Arc during a trip to the johannique festivals in Orléans in May 2016; same desire for participatory democracy when it founds En Marche! to bypass traditional parties… which is reminiscent of the Royal Desire for the Future movement during the 2007 presidential election.
The ultimate parallel, even fortuitous: on November 16, 2016, when Macron announced his candidacy for the supreme office, he did so ten years to the day after Ségolène Royal's victory in the 2006 PS primary.
No ministry, Royal touched in his pride
“They saw each other at regular intervals and called each other often. A direct, privileged relationship without intermediaries. In return, she always had kind words against her, ”recalls a walker hired during the campaign.
Then patatras… Macron is elected president of the Republic. And Royal, who was surely thinking of entering government, is not treated as she hoped. "It was the original error. Ségolène felt touched in her pride, "deciphers a government baron. Since then, between the two, it has been hot and cold forever. A succession of strokes and caresses, despite her appointment in September 2017 as ambassador of the poles.
Political Newsletter
Every day, political news seen by Le ParisienI'm registering
Your email address is collected by Le Parisien to allow you to receive our news and commercial offers. Find out more
As during the yellow vests crisis, where the former minister is hardly tender with Macron: "bad reform, and a badly managed crisis", it thunders in November 2018.
A few months later, as the Europeans approach, a change of tone. Some lend him intentions to lead the list of the presidential party or to seek a nomination to the Commission of Brussels. So Royal applauds the president's European ambition, notably his proposal to create a climate bank or the idea of a European minimum income. But nothing after, once again.
Result, here it is now firing a red ball against the pension reform. "The problem of Ségolène Royal? It is the woman you invite to your home, but who will criticize what is on the plate and the way you have served it. We can't trust him, ”asserts a ministerial adviser. “It blows hot and cold depending on the positions it targets. Everything is calculated according to its own interest, “continues a member of the government.
"The link is completely broken between the two"
And Macron? “To my knowledge, the link is completely broken between the two. There is no longer any exchange, not the slightest text message, ”suggests a LREM figure. Especially since the president keeps across the throat of other episodes.
As in March 2018, when he invited him on his delegation for a trip to India. "She played the ministers during the whole stay, she made her star," recalls one collaborator. Until organizing an off meeting with journalists. This is inappropriate. Abroad, only the highest authority takes the floor: the President of the Republic. He was very annoyed. "
Especially since in private, "the Mother sup '", as her slayers call it, never misses the opportunity to squirm her successors at the Hôtel de Roquelaure. “No sooner was Hulot appointed to Ecology than she was already tapping him. And the same now with Borne ", tackles an adviser to the Elysée who concludes:" She has exhausted all her capital with Macron. For her, it's game over ”.
