ANALYSIS
"He occupies the field, his word is well in the minds of the French." For a minister, there is no doubt about the communication of Emmanuel Macron in the middle of the coronavirus crisis. The head of state wants to set the course, after speaking of war and announcing a plan for the hospital. To him, therefore, vision and height. "He will speak when he has things to say," added a relative. In this case, Monday evening, after 8 pm, for a fourth speech since the first containment measures.
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The Philippe / Véran / Salomon trio takes the light
But if, for his relatives, Emmanuel Macron remains the master of the game, his position is nonetheless difficult. In the eyes of many French people, it is not him but the trio Edouard Philippe, Olivier Véran (Minister of Health) and Jérôme Salomon, Director General of Health, who are running the machine.
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The first "manages the crisis on a daily basis", certifies a minister. He was the one who delivered an educational exercise of 1.5 hours last week on television. He, too, who has spoken many times on the sets of television news. Olivier Véran and Jérôme Salomon are on the front line every evening to announce the daily report on the epidemic and answer questions from journalists.
"Height has its limits"
Result: the height that Emmanuel Macron is trying to take does not always make an impression. "If the vision is to say that we are at war on television one evening and take selfies in Seine-Saint-Denis another day, it's very curious," says a macronist. An allusion to the displacement carried out by the president Tuesday, in Pantin, during which formed in its passage a crowd, in defiance of the rules of confinement and social distancing.
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Emmanuel Macron is on the move, but should he review his way of communicating? "We can't see where he wants to go," sighs a ministerial adviser. A collaborator at the Élysée Palace recognizes this: "Height has its limits. In a crisis, problems must also be resolved."