Who won Wednesday night’s debate between Emmanuel Macron and Marine Le Pen depends on who is doing the scoring. In the spin room and on the social networks, Team Macron claimed a victory for the President. With the second round of the presidential election on Sunday, my reaction is exactly the opposite.
Le Pen was not crushed as she was in 2017. In a way, she won by not being terrible, leaving Macron unable to administer a coup de grace to her candidacy. She got stronger and more confident as the evening wore on; he seemed to become more defensive.
It’s taken for granted that Macron is a master of his dossiers and the President’s performance wasn’t terrible
To be generous, Macron was not on form. As the three-hour debate began, his voice seemed almost to break as he described his ambition for France. Sincerity? Or the bravado performance? It was a strangely emotional beginning.
The conflicts between the candidates were predictable as they ground their way through international affairs, the future of the French social model, the environment, economic competitiveness, youth, security and immigration, and finally France’s troubled state institutions.
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