Macron, the pro-business centrist who beat the far-right candidate Marine Le Pen to win the presidency in May, has until now shied away from traditional French presidential TV appearances. Instead, he has preferred giving lofty, lengthy speeches – namely on the future of the European Union – punctuated by flippant comments on public walkabouts. When a row erupted over his cuts to housing benefits, Macron suggested that if asked nicely, landlords might lower their rents. Insisting he did not see himself as a kind of republican king, he added: “France is a country of regicidal monarchists. It is a paradox: the French want to elect a king, but they would like to be able to overthrow him whenever they want.”

Source: The Guardian October 15, 2017 13:09 UTC