The wife of the French President-elect speaks out for the first time in the midst of a public storm

After being defended by relatives and politicians against criticism, the wife of the French President-elect, Brigitte Trogneux, spoke out for the first time on May 11 to defend herself and her husband's "abnormal" relationship.

Comments by the wife of the French President-elect on Twitter to respond to criticism. Photo: Twitter

In a comment on her personal Twitter account on May 11, Brigitte Trogneux, wife of French President-elect Emmanuel Macron, posted a cartoon of her and her husband from Charlie Hebdo magazine, with the comment: "Everything is possible, not necessarily desirable or dreamable."

On the same day, Ms. Trogneux also made another comment: “I am used to listening to people who always give positive messages. Life with Emmanuel must be like that.”

Trogneux's "counter-attack" comments came shortly after satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo published a cartoon of President-elect Emmanuel Macron and his wife on the cover of its May 9 issue. The photo depicts President-elect Macron smiling as he touches Trogneux's pregnant belly, with the caption: "He will do miracles."

The photo immediately received a lot of criticism, with many people saying that this magazine intentionally discriminated against the "mismatched" love story of President-elect Macron. Meanwhile, some people agreed with Charlie Hebdo, saying that they expected the new president to be able to do miracles for France.

Mr. Macron and his wife have been the focus of media attention not only domestically but also internationally since he ran for the French presidency. In addition to the young politician’s ability, public opinion has also paid attention to the ageless love affair between him and his wife, who is 25 years older than him.

Mr. Macron’s affair with his childhood teacher made his marriage considered “unusual.” Mr. Macron himself has recently faced a lot of criticism that he is gay or has no feelings for women.

Age-defying love is defended

French President-elect Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte Trogneux. Photo: AFP

On the other hand, many people have spoken out in defense of the relationship between Mr. Macron and Ms. Trogneux. Valérie Pécresse, the leader of the Republic in the Ile-de-France region, commented: “Feminist Republicans always support #BrigitteMacron, a victim of gender discrimination.”

Tiphaine Auzière, Trogneux’s daughter, also defended her mother in a recent interview. “I don’t want to pay attention to anyone who makes these kinds of comments, because I think it’s a complete insult,” Tiphaine said.

For his part, Mr. Macron said in an interview with Le Parisien:

“If I were 20 years older than my wife, no one would think that I didn’t love her. But because she is 20 years older than me, many people say that our relationship cannot exist and cannot last. Indeed, there is a big problem in society’s perception and the way people view the status of women.”

Mr Macron also shared: “She is a beautiful woman and someone just feels terrible because she is more than 20 years older than me when they are people who like to mock, people who are rude. That has taught me a lot, including political issues. We never build a relationship on the basis of other people's opinions.”

President Macron and his wife began to have feelings for each other when he was only 15 years old and was a student of Brigitte at school in Amiens, northern France. Brigitte was then married and the mother of three children. Their love story went through many difficulties, including strong opposition from Mr. Macron's parents. They sent Mr. Macron to study in Paris to separate his relationship with Brigitte.

However, the two were determined to pursue their love to the end despite all the obstacles. Before leaving, Mr. Macron promised to one day return to marry his teacher and he fulfilled that promise in 2007. The couple decided not to have children and until now, after Mr. Macron became president, the two still have the same deep love for each other as at the beginning.

According to Dan Tri