Gabriel Attal, appointed youngest Prime Minister of the Fifth Republic on January 9, was plunged in the deep end as soon as he takes office. Between managing the agricultural crisis, political turmoil and leadership challenges within a relative majority, Gabriel Attal seems to be navigating a complex and demanding environment. In this context, during a recent dinner with his predecessor Jean Castex, the latter allegedly slipped a simple but valuable piece of advice, reported by The Parisian on February 13: “You have to be in good spirits.”
This little sentence, far from being insignificant, must surely have had a particular resonance for Gabriel Attal, whose first steps at Matignon have not been easy. According to different sources such as Opinion, The Express or The ParisianEmmanuel Macron would have been annoyed by the repeated errors of his Prime Minister, in particular his management of the farmers’ crisis and his clumsy attempts to integrate François Bayrou into his government. Missteps that have sparked some criticism and highlighted tensions within the executive duothe head of state criticizing Gabriel Attal in particular of “looking for the light a little too quickly”, according to a close source Parisian.
⋙ PHOTOS – Who are the ministers of the Attal government?
Gabriel Attal: The Prime Minister more popular than Emmanuel Macron?
Despite this turbulence, Gabriel Attal enjoys growing popularity among the French. An Ifop survey published by The Sunday Journal last February 18 revealed that 48% of respondents say they are satisfied with his action, compared to only 29% for Emmanuel Macron. According to the daily, the Prime Minister would be perceived as “dynamic, in action, efficient”. Despite some criticism as his habit of wanting “go too fast” and his lightning move to National Education, this increasing popularity positions Gabriel Attal as A “promising heir of macronism”.
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