After declaring that he would wear a turtleneck to avoid turning on the heating in Bercy, the Minister of the Economy denounces a “media system which gets carried away on a simple remark”.
Calming the spirits. This is what Bruno Le Maire did on Thursday in an interview with the online media Brut after stating on Tuesday on France Inter that he would wear a “turtleneck” and no more “a tie” to avoid turning on the heating too early at Bercy. And this, to show the French that he is also making efforts in a context where the government team continues to urge the French to be sober in the face of the current energy crisis. If the clothing remarks of Bruno Le Maire provoked mockery and ridicule on social networks, the boss of Bercy wanted to clarify his word.
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While the sentence reacted to many politicians, required to speak on the subject, Bruno Le Maire does not understand the controversy. Which is, according to him,regrettable because other things seemed more important to him in this interview.“A statement which may seem offbeat in view of the communication of certain personalities of the majority in recent days, including Prime Minister Élisabeth Borne who even displayed herself in a padded jacket during a press conference.
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No planned group strategy, replies the Minister of the Economy. “There is no message, I did not recommend anyone to dress this or that way (…). The Prime Minister dresses as she wants and I dress as I want. If I wanna wear a turtleneck, that’s my problem“, insists Bruno Le Maire. who adds:If I recommended the French to put on a turtleneck, to dress in such and such a way, that would be a subject because a minister or a member of the government does not have to tell French women and men how they have to dress.»
«Totally crazy stuff»
A way, moreover, for the member of the government to be alarmed in the face of a “media system” who “gets carried away on a simple remark». «It’s totally crazy stuff. You do a 20-minute show, you talk about purchasing power, you talk about the 2023 budget, you talk about the energy situation, energy sobriety. You say that in your office, if it’s 18 or 19, you’ll put on a turtleneck and it goes live. So it’s still a little amazing“replies Bruno Le Maire.
According to the boss of Bercy, the way he dresses in the light of this winter “does not have a major interest.The opportunity for the Minister to adopt a rather ironic tone:In my office, I don’t jog, I read notes, I sign initials, I receive people. So, if it’s 18 or 19 degrees, yes, I’ll put on a turtleneck, I’ll put on a sweater rather than heating up the office.“What push the French to do the same to save money?