Emmanuel Macron

Emmanuel Macron
Born	Emmanuel Jean-Michel Frédéric Macron 21 12, 1977
Birthplace	Amiens, France
Nationality	French
Occupation	Politician, former investment banker, former civil servant
Known for	Youngest president in French history; founding En Marche! (now Renaissance)
Education	École nationale d'administration (ENA)
Spouse(s)	Brigitte Macron (m. 2007)
Awards	Grand Cross of the Legion of Honour (ex officio)
Website	[https://www.elysee.fr Official site]

Emmanuel Jean-Michel Frédéric Macron (born 21 December 1977) is a French politician serving as the 25th President of France and Co-Prince of Andorra since 14 May 2017. Before entering elected office, Macron worked as a senior civil servant at the General Inspectorate of Finance, as an investment banker at Rothschild & Co, and as a senior adviser and deputy secretary-general at the Élysée Palace under President François Hollande. Appointed Minister of Economics and Finance in 2014, he resigned in 2016 to found the centrist political movement En Marche! and launch his presidential campaign. In May 2017, at the age of 39, he defeated Marine Le Pen of the National Front in the second round of the presidential election with approximately 66 percent of the vote, becoming the youngest president in French history. His presidency has been defined by ambitious domestic reforms to labour law, taxation, and pensions, as well as an assertive pro-European foreign policy. Re-elected in 2022 — again defeating Le Pen — Macron became the first French president to win a second term since Jacques Chirac in 2002. As of 2026, Macron continues to navigate a complex domestic political landscape and an evolving international order marked by trade tensions, the war in Ukraine, and shifting transatlantic relations.

Early Life

Emmanuel Jean-Michel Frédéric Macron was born on 21 December 1977 in Amiens, a city in the Picardy region of northern France. He grew up in a professional family; his parents were both physicians. Macron has described an intellectually stimulating upbringing and developed an early interest in literature and philosophy.

During his secondary education, Macron attended the Lycée Henri-IV in Paris, one of France's most prestigious preparatory institutions, in addition to his schooling in Amiens. It was during his school years that he met Brigitte Trogneux, a teacher of French literature who was more than two decades his senior and who would later become his wife. The relationship drew considerable public attention throughout his political career.

As a young man, Macron was drawn to both the intellectual life and public affairs. Reports have noted his early association with the ideas of Jean-Pierre Chevènement, a left-leaning sovereigntist politician, suggesting that Macron's political formation was eclectic from the outset. This intellectual curiosity and willingness to cross traditional political boundaries would become a defining feature of his later career.

Education

Macron studied philosophy at Paris Nanterre University, where he developed an academic grounding in the humanities. He subsequently pursued a master's degree in public affairs at Sciences Po, one of France's leading institutions for political science and public administration. Following Sciences Po, Macron prepared for and gained admission to the École nationale d'administration (ENA), the elite graduate school that has produced many of France's top government officials, diplomats, and business leaders. He graduated from ENA in 2004. Reports have noted that in preparation for ENA, Macron attended preparatory courses at IPESUP, a private institution in Paris known for training candidates for competitive entrance examinations to France's grandes écoles.

Career

Civil Service and the General Inspectorate of Finance

After graduating from ENA in 2004, Macron entered the French civil service and was assigned to the General Inspectorate of Finance (Inspection générale des finances, or IGF), an elite corps within the French Ministry of Finance responsible for auditing and advising on public financial matters. The IGF is one of the most prestigious postings available to ENA graduates, and Macron's assignment there placed him at the centre of French economic policy-making at a young age.

Investment Banking at Rothschild & Co

In 2008, Macron left the civil service to join Rothschild & Co, the prominent European investment bank. At Rothschild, Macron worked on mergers and acquisitions and rapidly gained a reputation as an effective dealmaker. He was involved in several high-profile transactions, including advising Nestlé on its acquisition of a stake in Pfizer's infant nutrition division, a deal reportedly valued at approximately €9 billion.

In December 2010, Macron was made a partner (associé-gérant) at Rothschild & Cie, a notable achievement for someone still in his early thirties. Macron later disclosed that his earnings during this period were substantial, a point that became a subject of public discussion during his presidential campaign.

Political Affiliations and Entry into Politics

Macron was a member of the Socialist Party between 2006 and 2009, though his political outlook was already difficult to categorise within traditional left-right divisions. His earlier association with Chevènement's movement and subsequent membership in the Socialist Party reflected a willingness to engage with multiple strands of French political thought.

Adviser to President Hollande

Following François Hollande's victory in the 2012 presidential election, Macron was appointed deputy secretary-general of the Élysée Palace, serving as a senior adviser to the president. In this role, Macron became a key figure in formulating the government's economic policy and was credited with building bridges between the presidency and the French business community. Reports noted the influence of Jean-Pierre Jouyet, secretary-general of the Élysée, as a mentor and sponsor of Macron's rapid ascent within the presidential apparatus.

Minister of Economics and Finance

In August 2014, Macron was appointed Minister of Economics, Industry and Digital Affairs in the second government of Prime Minister Manuel Valls, replacing Arnaud Montebourg. At 36, Macron was one of the youngest ministers in a major French government portfolio in modern history. His appointment was noteworthy because he had never held elected office.

As economics minister, Macron championed the loi Macron (Macron Law), a package of business-friendly reforms aimed at liberalising certain sectors of the French economy, including deregulating Sunday trading, reforming regulated professions, and facilitating intercity bus travel. The legislation was controversial, drawing criticism from the left wing of the Socialist Party and from trade unions, but was ultimately passed using Article 49.3 of the French Constitution, which allows the government to force a bill through the National Assembly without a vote. Macron's tenure at the ministry established his public profile as a reformist who sought to modernise the French economy from a centrist, pro-business perspective.

Founding of En Marche! and the 2017 Presidential Campaign

Macron resigned from the government in August 2016 and, in April of that year, had already founded the political movement En Marche! (On the Move!), which he described as neither left nor right but centrist, liberal, and pro-European. The movement attracted supporters from across the political spectrum, including disillusioned members of both the Socialist Party and The Republicans.

Macron formally declared his candidacy for the 2017 French presidential election in November 2016. His campaign gained considerable momentum partly due to the Fillon affair, which severely damaged the candidacy of centre-right frontrunner François Fillon. Macron advanced to the second round of voting, where he faced Marine Le Pen of the National Front. He won the runoff with approximately 66 percent of the vote in May 2017, becoming the youngest president in French history at the age of 39. In the subsequent legislative elections, his party — by then renamed La République En Marche! (LREM) — secured a commanding majority in the National Assembly.

First Presidential Term (2017–2022)

Macron's first term was characterised by a sweeping programme of domestic reform and an assertive foreign policy. On the domestic front, his government pushed through reforms to labour law via executive orders, restructured the national railway company SNCF, and enacted changes to taxation, including the replacement of the wealth tax (impôt de solidarité sur la fortune) with a tax on real estate wealth. These measures prompted critics to label Macron the "president of the rich."

The most significant domestic challenge of the first term was the emergence of the gilets jaunes (yellow vests) movement in late 2018, triggered initially by a planned fuel tax increase and broadening into a wider expression of social and economic grievance. The protests, some of which turned violent, shook the government and led Macron to organise a grand débat national (great national debate) to address public concerns. Additional protests and strikes followed in 2019 and early 2020 over proposed pension reform.

From early 2020, Macron's presidency was dominated by the COVID-19 pandemic. The government imposed lockdowns, mobilised public health resources, and oversaw a national vaccination campaign. Macron also led France's response to the economic recession precipitated by the pandemic, including stimulus measures.

In foreign policy, Macron called for deeper European integration and signed treaties with Germany and Italy. He pursued trade and business agreements valued at approximately €40 billion with China during the China–United States trade war. He continued France's military engagement in operations against the Islamic State (Opération Chammal) and was among the international leaders who condemned the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. His presidency also saw a significant dispute with Australia and the United States over the AUKUS security pact, which led to the cancellation of a major French submarine contract with Australia.

Re-election and Second Presidential Term (2022–present)

Macron stood for re-election in the 2022 French presidential election and again reached the second round against Marine Le Pen. He won the runoff, becoming the first French president to secure re-election since Jacques Chirac in 2002. However, the subsequent legislative elections resulted in a hung parliament, with Macron's centrist coalition losing its absolute majority in the National Assembly. This marked the first French minority government since 1993 and significantly constrained the president's legislative agenda.

In 2023, the government of Prime Minister Élisabeth Borne passed a controversial reform raising the retirement age from 62 to 64. The legislation was enacted using Article 49.3 of the Constitution, bypassing a parliamentary vote, and provoked large-scale public sector strikes and protests across France.

The political landscape continued to shift. In June 2024, Macron dissolved the National Assembly and called snap legislative elections. The result was a further fragmentation of the parliament, with no single bloc holding a majority, deepening the challenges of governance.

As of early 2026, Macron continues to manage a volatile domestic scene. In February 2026, he announced the appointment of David Amiel, a 33-year-old close ally, as the new budget minister, tasked with implementing the 2026 budget. He has also been confronting social unrest, including urging calm ahead of marches following the killing of a far-right activist in Lyon.

Foreign Policy (Second Term)

In his second term, Macron has continued to pursue an active international role. He has been a prominent voice in the European and Western response to the war in Ukraine, convening the so-called "Coalition of the Willing" in Paris in February 2026 to mark the anniversary of the Russian invasion and discuss ongoing support for Ukraine.

Macron has also navigated the complexities of transatlantic relations during the return of Donald Trump to the American presidency. In February 2026, he wrote to Trump requesting the lifting of sanctions imposed on European officials. Following a U.S. Supreme Court ruling on Trump's trade tariffs, Macron commented publicly that the ruling demonstrated the importance of "counterweights to power in democracies." On broader trade policy, Macron stated that France would "look closely at the exact consequences" of tariff actions and "adapt."

Macron has also sought to deepen France's partnership with India, declaring that the question was no longer "whether India innovates" but "who will innovate with India."

Personal Life

Macron married Brigitte Trogneux in 2007. Brigitte Macron, née Trogneux, had been his French and drama teacher at the Lycée la Providence in Amiens, a Jesuit school. The couple's relationship began when Macron was a teenager, a fact that has been the subject of extensive media coverage. Brigitte Macron has three children from a previous marriage; the couple does not have children together. As First Lady of France, Brigitte Macron has been involved in various public causes, including education and anti-bullying initiatives.

Macron has spoken publicly about the influence of his grandmother, who he has said nurtured his love of literature. He is known to be an avid reader and has cited philosophers such as Paul Ricœur, for whom he worked as an editorial assistant in his youth, as intellectual influences.

Recognition

As President of France, Macron holds the title of Grand Master of the Legion of Honour ex officio. His election in 2017, at the age of 39, made him the youngest head of state in France since Napoleon Bonaparte. His political rise — from a figure without elected office to the presidency in under three years — has been the subject of extensive analysis in French and international media.

Macron's re-election in 2022 was noted as the first successful presidential re-election bid in France in two decades, and his continued presence at the centre of European politics — particularly in the context of the war in Ukraine and trade disputes with the United States — has maintained his prominence on the global stage.

Legacy

Macron's political legacy remains a subject of active debate, given that he continues to serve as president. His founding of En Marche! (later Renaissance) disrupted the traditional two-party structure of French politics, which had been dominated for decades by the Socialist Party and the Gaullist right. The success of his movement demonstrated the potential for centrist, non-traditional political organisations to win power in a major European democracy.

His domestic reform agenda — encompassing labour law, taxation, railway restructuring, and pension reform — has been alternately characterised as necessary modernisation and as an assault on the French social model. The yellow vests movement and repeated pension reform protests underscored the depth of public division over his economic programme.

In foreign affairs, Macron has sought to position France as a leading voice for European strategic autonomy, deeper EU integration, and a rules-based international order. His engagement with the war in Ukraine, his efforts to maintain dialogue with both the United States and China, and his outreach to India reflect an ambitious vision for France's global role.

The long-term assessment of Macron's presidency will depend in part on the political trajectory of France after his time in office and on whether the centrist movement he founded proves durable beyond his personal leadership.