INTERVIEW - Valérie Trierweiler releases a podcast on the First Ladies: "Being only two years at the Elysée saved me"

Solène Delinger 19:30 pm, April 12, 2023

How did you come up with the idea for this podcast series about First Ladies?

I thought about it because it's a subject that fascinates people enormously. I've always been asked a lot of questions about my own experience, but I'm also asked if I've met Michelle Obama, if I know Carla Bruni or if I've ever met Hillary Clinton. It came back so much that at one point I thought I could talk about this subject because I have a double expertise, that of journalist and First Lady.

How did you look at these podcasts?

My perspective is first and foremost that of a journalist. My legitimacy comes from this more than from my brief stay at the Elysee, even if this experience allowed me to know the workings of this small cabinet (editor's note: each First Lady has a personal cabinet to carry out her actions), as well as the relationship with the president's advisers.

Why did you choose Yvonne de Gaulle, Michelle Obama, Carla Bruni, Olena Zelenska and Danielle Mitterrand for the first five episodes?

I tried to find five First Ladies with totally different commitments so it wouldn't be repetitive. There is the least known, Yvonne de Gaulle, then an icon, Michelle Obama. We also have an artist, Carla Bruni and a woman in the war, Olena Zelenska. Danielle Mitterrand was an activist.

Which of these five First Ladies fascinates you the most?

Danielle Mitterrand is a real role model for me because she had strong international commitments. She fought for all oppressed peoples. And my natural tendency is there too. I like that solidarity does not stop at borders.

However, the commitment is not always very well seen for the First Ladies... Brigitte Macron has recently been criticized for giving her opinion on certain political topics, such as the uniform at school. What do you think?

We are offended as soon as Brigitte Macron speaks, but she has the right to have an opinion! It is only his, it does not engage the France. I want to say that the role of First Lady is a very difficult role. Whatever we do, we are criticized. I lived it. When I arrived at the Elysée, I was wearing dresses that I had bought from my small merchants. I was criticized for not being dressed well enough. So I agreed to lend me dresses by dressmakers. I immediately got press coverage saying: "That's it, she falls into luxury". I was also much criticized for being the only First Lady to keep my profession. However, I did not do political interviews, but literary criticism on novels. For me, it was not only an act of claiming autonomy, but also a necessity because I had three children to raise and I had to earn a living.

Were you prepared for these attacks?

I thought I had prepared but I wasn't. It's like being told, "Get ready for the tsunami." We imagine a storm, but we do not imagine a tsunami. In fact, it's ten times more violent than we thought. When I saw Carla Bruni during the exchange during the transfer of power, she told me that she did not imagine that it was so violent. She told me: "For you, it's going to be okay because journalists are your friends." They weren't my friends for long. I refused to serve as an unofficial spokesperson. They didn't understand it and turned their backs on me.

Could you count on the president's support?

You can't talk to the president about it because he's focused on something else. He has neither the time nor the availability of mind. So, you turn to people you trust and you rely on the support of your family, which is a basic foundation. It's also very hard for loved ones to hear criticism and read things that are false. It was said about me that I had a colossal fortune that was hidden because my grandfather was a banker. My sisters would call me and jokingly say, "Give us the money back now," because everyone knew it was wrong.

Other rumors have circulated about you, such as the one about broken dishes at the Elysée at the time of your break with François Hollande. Did it hurt you?

This rumor always hurts me, I can't digest it. François Hollande was against denials because he thought it would stir things up. Today, I think that is a mistake. We must make a denial immediately to stop everything directly.

François Hollande did not protect you enough from rumours?

No, he didn't protect me enough. But, the situation wasn't easy for him either and I don't want to look like I'm out of the old grudge. Maybe he thinks today that he should have protected me more because it would have protected him himself.

Are attacks on First Ladies misogynistic?

I think it is first of all a way to reach the President of the Republic because the wife or partner did not choose to be there. We always make these women look ambitious, but that's wrong! Most women were not happy at the Elysee, except Bernadette Chirac who liked it. Claude Pompidou called this house "the house of hell". Carla Bruni played the game. But she was focused on her pregnancy, and that's what kept her going. When I met her, she was crying to tell me how hard it had been.

Your own experience as First Lady was very complicated. Did the production of this podcast series revive painful memories of your time at the Elysée?

No, quite the contrary. Rather, it revived positive experiences that I hadn't exploited, such as going to the UN podium in New York and Geneva to advocate for raped women in the Democratic Republic of Congo. I also went there, to the hospital of gynecologist Mukwege, whom no one knew at the time (editor's note: since Nobel Peace Prize in 2018). I visited his hospital and will never forget what I saw there. There are also people with whom I am still in contact, like Théo Curin. I met him when he was twelve years old and have never stopped encouraging him since. We have a very strong bond.

Ten years after being First Lady, have you totally moved on?

Yes, because I wasn't for long. I only stayed for two years and I think maybe that's what saved me. I found a normal life. So, it was not a relief at first because I suffered a lot from the end of my love story. But I absolutely did not suffer from leaving the Elysée and no one was aware of that.

You recently separated from your partner, rugby player Romain Magellan. How do you live this break?

It's never easy but hey, that's the end of the story. We made the path together that we had to do together.

In a recent interview, Julie Gayet sent you a message: "I know what pain a separation is. I respected that pain while trying to find my place." Did those words touch you?

I haven't read his interview but that sentence came back to my ears. I would prefer her to keep quiet about me because she is not in my place.