On this cloudy Tuesday morning, Emmanuel Macron receives the readers of the Parisien-Today in France at the Elysee in a scenography very "barrier gestures".
Individual tables, well spaced from each other, await participants under the tricolor glass roof of the winter garden.
And everyone is entitled to their bottle of hydroalcoholic gel and a microphone that works in Bluetooth.
The subliminal message is clear ...
While waiting for the president, Solène, a young student from a business school in Reims, immortalizes the place with her smartphone. Like Juliette, a school teacher and Tom, a young farmer from Orne. Only Pascal, an insurance executive, has already walked on the thick gray carpet of the palace. It was on the occasion of the Heritage Days. In the vast garden, we see a beagle running in all directions, soon followed by Nemo, the Macron's dog.
It is eleven o'clock when Emmanuel Macron finally makes his appearance.
The president wears a mask, which he will remove during the interview.
From the outset, he wished the audience a Happy New Year, by distributing checks and “namasté” (palms together and a slight inclination in Indian fashion).
Then, let's go for two hours of questions.
"I have time," warns the likely future candidate, who will bite largely on the schedule of his next meeting.
"I promise I'll come see you!"
"
Once the interview is over, Emmanuel Macron chats with the readers. He asks the caregivers Isabelle and Marie-Eve about the situation in their respective establishments: “Have your teams been vaccinated? Haven't you laid off anyone? The discussion then turns to the uncertainties of the health situation. "We did not leave the hostel," laments Marie-Eve. On a possible 4th dose of vaccine, the Head of State tells him to remain "cautious" and wait for the returns of the Israeli experience, where this path is starting to be tried. “The virus has taught us humility,” concludes the president.
Then, everyone goes to the steps of the Élysée for the traditional photo of "Face to readers".
Fortunately, the rain has stopped.
Before leaving, Tom invites the Head of State to come and visit him in his market garden in Réveillon (Orne).
The young man praises his environmentally friendly productions and says he left Paris to learn about life in the fields.
"I promise I'll come see you!"
»The president blurted out to him.
First promise of a campaign not yet official.
