Those who say yes believe Zemmour, who regularly praises Knafo’s talent when asked about her publicly, recognizes the dynamic and is perfectly happy to return to the world of the acerbic intelligentsia. An acquaintance who sees them on vacation in the south of France said it was telling to watch Zemmour ambling down the street, pushing their child in a stroller, while Knafo was three meters ahead with a phone glued to her ear.
Those who believe the reverse say he would be humiliated, pointing to his 2006 essay “The First Sex” and noting that he has repeatedly belittled the idea of women in power. One far-right parliamentarian said he imagined Zemmour “unhappier than ever” and “having trouble sleeping” watching Knafo’s rise.
Amid growing calls for a union spanning the entire French political right ahead of the next presidential election, conservative heavyweights such as Laurent Wauquiez, the top-ranking MP in Les Républicains, and Cannes Mayor David Lisnard are clamoring for a primary on the right spanning the ideological spectrum of “[center-right Justice Minister] Gérald Darmanin to Sarah Knafo.”
Such a contest is unlikely to happen given whichever candidate represents the National Rally and Édouard Philippe, the center-right former PM who has already declared for the presidential race, would sit it out. Bruno Retailleau, the leader of Les Républicains, does not want to participate either.
But Knafo privately hopes to see the primary take place. Were she to run, she likes her chances against whoever Les Républicains try to put up against her — as do other big hitters on the right.
“I don’t understand what they’re doing,” one National Rally lawmaker said of Wauquiez and the other conservatives pushing for a primary. “They’re taking the risk that she’ll win.”