Presidential 2022: attacks, punchlines … what to remember from the debate between Marine Le Pen and Emmanuel Macron


Emmanuel Macron and Marine Le Pen clashed this Wednesday evening during the traditional debate between the two presidential rounds. An enlightening exercise, broadcast in particular on CNEWS, which did not experience a pivotal moment.

Biting, the two opponents, who were already facing each other in 2017 at the same stage, did not fall into aggression. Both admitted at the very end of the debate, which lasted two and a half hours, that the exchange had been relatively cordial.

Purchasing power: Emmanuel Macron immediately offensive

The outgoing president went on the attack from 9 p.m. He quickly tried to show the limits of his opponent’s program, saying for example to Marine Le Pen, about purchasing power, that she had “responded to none of (his) remarks”. Before adding: “It’s normal because you have no answers”. “What you are saying is factually false”, he added, in response to Marine Le Pen, who indicated that the president could have “lowered the taxes which (he) increased” and which led to the movement of yellow vests.

Russia: Marine Le Pen targeted

The first major battle between the two candidates came over the war in Ukraine, when Emmanuel Macron accused Marine Le Pen of “depending on Russian power and Vladimir Putin”, referring to the loan contracted by the National Front at a Russian bank in 2014. “When you talk to Vladimir Putin, you talk to your banker,” he said.

“He knows full well that what he says is false and that I am a free woman,” Marine Le Pen immediately replied. “The only addiction I have is having to repay my loan,” she said, directly accusing Emmanuel Macron of having prevented her at the time from obtaining money through a French bank, so that he was Minister of the Economy. “We are a poor party, but that is not dishonorable,” she concluded.

European Union: Emmanuel Macron accused of “conspiracy”

On the question of Europe, Marine Le Pen attacked her adversary by explaining that “there is no European sovereignty because there is no European people. I understand that you want to replace French sovereignty with European sovereignty. You did it symbolically by replacing the French flag with the European flag on the Arc de Triomphe”. She accused Emmanuel Macron of being very “European-centric”, which made him react by denouncing the “cynicism” of his competitor.

The latter, faced with the words of her adversary assuring that her ambition was to leave the European Union, defended herself: “but I do not wish to leave, I did not think that you would fall into a form of conspiracy . I do not want to leave the European Union,” she insisted. The RN candidate actually spoke out for a Europe of nations.

ecology and economy: a festival of shock formulas

The debate gave rise to some striking phrases from the two candidates. Particularly offensive on the economic balance sheet of the outgoing president, Marine Le Pen accused him of having created “600 billion additional debt, two thirds of which have absolutely nothing to do with the Covid”. “The Mozart of finance has an economic record that is very bad,” she pointed out.

Regarding ecology, the two adversaries clashed harshly. Emmanuel Macron accused Marine Le Pen of being “climatosceptic”, while she replied that he was “climato-hypocritical”. She notably mocked her conversion to nuclear power on the end of her mandate and her “punitive ecology”, in particular against the car.

Accustomed to original expressions, Emmanuel Macron did it again during the debate: “Your project, when we put things back in place brick by brick, it is a project that does not say its name, which consists of getting out of Europe. We can decide to ripolinate the facade alone, but it is a condominium, “he said. He also particularly caused a reaction on social networks by using the term “finito”, to speak of the end of the European market, or by referring to “Gérard Majax”, a media magician of the 1980s, to ensure that the drop in unemployment in France is very real.

security, immigration and secularism: lively but controlled exchanges

“Anarchic and massive immigration contributes to the aggravation of insecurity in our country,” said Marine Le Pen. She thus defended her idea of ​​a referendum on this subject, which she wants to put in place once elected. She also insisted on the defense of law enforcement. “We must morally rearm the police, who have suffered a lot from the contempt of your government,” she opposed Emmanuel Macron.

He then attacked his opponent about the veil, which she said she wanted to ban in the public space, believing that “in the cities, you will create civil war”. “It’s very serious what you say,” she replied.

tone of the debate: “We are much more disciplined than 5 years ago”

At the end of their exchanges, the two candidates granted each other an astonishing moment of sympathy, noting that they respected the instructions of the two journalists very well. “We are much more disciplined than 5 years ago”, noted Emmanuel Macron, smiling. “(It’s because) we’ve aged”, added Marine Le Pen, also amused. “I will be very respectful towards you, it does not show with you but more with me”, continued the outgoing president.





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