RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – President Emmanuel Macron reacted on Monday, August 26th, to a comment on Facebook by president Jair Bolsonaro, who on Saturday endorsed the post of a follower mocking Macron’s wife Brigitte, who is 24 years older than the French head of state.
At a press conference with Sebastián Piñera, the president of Chile, Macron said that the comment about Brigitte was “sad” and “extremely disrespectful.” He also stated that Brazilians “deserve a president who is up to the job” that such position requires.
“What can I say? It’s sad, really sad, but it’s first of all sad for him and the Brazilians,” said the French president.
On Saturday, a follower posted photos showing the French couple and the Brazilian one, comparing them with the words “Now do you understand why Macron can’t stop pursuing Bolsonaro?” The Brazilian president replied: “Don’t humiliate him, man, lol.”
The post was then followed by a montage featuring Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte on the top, and, right below, the Brazilian president and his wife, Michelle, who is 27 years younger than the Brazilian head of state.
Bolsonaro’s reply went viral, and it ended up reaching the French press’ ears. They criticized the president’s attitude, calling it sexist.
Brigitte is 66, while Macron is 42. It is not the first time Macron’s opponents use this age difference to attack him, but he countered with a response saying that if he were 20 years older “no one would think for a second that we could not be legitimately together”.
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