He took a stroll, then a boat trip on the Seine, when he resigned as economy minister in 2016 to launch his presidential bid. On the night of his election in 2017, he took a three-minute victory lap around the Louvre Museum, again in the dark overcoat preferred for moments of high-drama.
After Lecornu’s resignation mere hours after his government was appointed, Macron has his back against the wall, as the crisis in the eurozone’s No. 2 economy is sapping confidence in both French markets and the euro.
The appointment last month of a close ally as prime minister was seen as the last resort for the French president. If the ultimate Macron loyalist couldn’t secure a functioning government, make a deal with opposition parties on the budget, who could?
Now the president faces an array of unappetizing options: appointing a new prime minister who will almost certainly fail, calling a snap election that will probably bring the far-right National Rally closer to power. Or something he said he would never do: resign.
In a sign of the difficulties he faces, the French president seemed angry and appeared to snap at a close ally during a conversation Monday morning, according to this ally, who was granted anonymity to discuss a sensitive matter.
The tension is at its peak. Lecornu walked out on Monday, when the newly reappointed interior minister (and head of the conservatives), Bruno Retailleau, said he wasn’t sure his party wanted to stay in government.