Emmanuel Macron was elated when France won the World Cup in July. The photograph of him leaping out of his seat at the Moscow stadium showed a leader at the peak of his power. Or so he thought.
Ever since then, he has been bumping back to earth. Last week, the French President took the unusual step of retiring to Honfleur for four days’ rest and recuperation. ‘His face has changed, he is marked by the weight of power,’ confided one of his team; another expressed concern about the President’s weight loss.
Part of his deterioration is self-inflicted. Macron likes to boast that he gets by on four hours of sleep, and his texts to ministers in the early hours are legendary. In the 18 months since he came to power, he has made 170 official visits in France and 66 trips overseas.
Caught off-guard by the flurry of speculation concerning his health, Macron emerged from his retreat to tell locals that ‘All is well, so don’t worry.’
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