2024-03-22 07:10:26
French President Emmanuel Macron, who in recent weeks has hardened his rhetoric against Russia in support of Ukraine, posted two photos of his boxing training on the Internet.
The pictures caused a great stir among the French discussion and some suspect the Elysee Palace of artificially “inflating” Macron’s biceps. Others note that the president is using the practices of a politician he opposes – Russian ruler Vladimir Putin.
Macron’s official photographer Soazing de la Moissonnière, who regularly publishes dozens of civilian photos of the president, posted the black-and-white pictures on her Instagram on Tuesday. But few of them caused such a response. In addition to hundreds of laudatory reactions, there were also a similar number of ironic or dubious comments.
Some people have published comparison of the president’s current biceps with older photos, which they say proves the likely manipulation of boxing images. Macron’s supporters, on the other hand, claim that the images used for comparison are several years old and that the president may have gained muscle mass in the meantime. The Elysee Palace has not officially commented on the matter.
According to French media, Macron regularly trains in boxing. The newspaper Paris Match wrote that he devotes himself to physical training, including boxing, for 45 minutes twice a week.
In recent weeks, the French president has been declaring that the direct involvement of his country’s soldiers in the war in Ukraine cannot be ruled out. The media note that he completely reversed his rhetoric from the beginning of the Russian invasion more than two years ago, when he wanted to negotiate with Putin.
Many French people now exaggerate the images as Macron showing Putin his muscles and challenging him to a duel.
“I don’t know if they were edited, it doesn’t matter. What I do know, however, is that they are part of the neo-populist virilism that certain leaders, starting with the master of the genre so far, Vladimir Putin,” wrote history professor Éric Anseau on the X network. Like many others, he recalled countless photos of Putin with his chest exposed in various physical performances.