Emmanuel Macron

Emmanuel Macron
Born	Emmanuel Jean-Michel Frédéric Macron 21 12, 1977
Birthplace	Amiens, France
Nationality	French
Occupation	Politician
Known for	President of France, founder of En Marche! (now Renaissance)
Education	École nationale d'administration (ENA)
Spouse(s)	Brigitte Macron (m. 2007)

Emmanuel Jean-Michel Frédéric Macron (born 21 December 1977) is a French politician who has served as the 25th President of France and Co-Prince of Andorra since 14 May 2017. Before entering the political arena as a candidate, Macron built a career that traversed the upper echelons of the French civil service, investment banking, and presidential advisory roles — an unusual trajectory that set him apart from the established party structures that had long dominated French politics. He served as Minister of Economics and Finance under President François Hollande from 2014 to 2016, before resigning to found the centrist, pro-European political movement En Marche! in April 2016. He was elected president in May 2017 at the age of 39, defeating Marine Le Pen of the National Front with approximately 66 percent of the vote in the second round, becoming the youngest president in French history. He won re-election in 2022, again defeating Le Pen, becoming the first French president to win re-election since Jacques Chirac in 2002. His presidency has been marked by ambitious economic reforms, significant social unrest including the yellow vests protests, management of the COVID-19 pandemic, and an active foreign policy centred on European integration and international security. As of 2026, Macron continues to navigate a complex domestic political landscape and an increasingly volatile international environment.

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 family with strong ties to the medical and academic professions. His father, Jean-Michel Macron, was a professor of neurology at the University of Picardy Jules Verne, and his mother, Françoise Noguès, was a physician.

Macron's intellectual precocity was evident from a young age. He developed a deep interest in literature and philosophy during his formative years in Amiens. He attended the Lycée La Providence, a private Jesuit institution in the city, where he excelled academically. It was at this school that he met Brigitte Trogneux (later Brigitte Macron), a French-language teacher who was twenty-four years his senior. The relationship, which later became a marriage, attracted considerable public attention throughout his career.

Macron later moved to Paris to pursue further secondary education. He attended the prestigious Lycée Henri-IV in Paris to prepare for entry into elite French institutions. This period marked the beginning of his immersion in the competitive French educational system, which would shape much of his subsequent career path. As a young man, Macron also developed an interest in political philosophy, which informed his later political thinking. He was associated with the ideas of Jean-Pierre Chevènement, the left-wing sovereigntist politician, during his younger years.

Education

Macron pursued a broad and rigorous education across several of France's most prestigious institutions. He studied philosophy at Paris Nanterre University, where he reportedly worked as an editorial assistant for the philosopher Paul Ricœur. He subsequently enrolled at Sciences Po, where he completed a master's degree in public affairs.

He then prepared for the entrance examination to the École nationale d'administration (ENA), attending preparatory classes at IPESUP, a well-known private institution in Paris that specialises in competitive examination preparation. He graduated from ENA in 2004, a credential that placed him within the upper tier of France's administrative elite. Upon graduation, he entered the Inspection générale des finances, one of the most prestigious corps in the French civil service, reserved for the highest-ranking ENA graduates.

Career

Civil Service and the Inspection générale des finances

Following his graduation from ENA in 2004, Macron was assigned to the Inspection générale des finances (IGF), a senior auditing body within the French Ministry of Finance. The position, one of the most coveted in the French civil service, afforded Macron a comprehensive understanding of public finance, economic regulation, and government administration. His time at the IGF established him as a technically skilled administrator and brought him into contact with the political and economic networks that would later prove instrumental in his career.

Investment Banking at Rothschild & Co

In 2008, Macron left the civil service to join Rothschild & Co, the prominent investment bank, as a banker. His transition from public service to the private financial sector was facilitated in part by the networks he had cultivated during his time at the IGF and through political connections, including his relationship with Jean-Pierre Jouyet, a senior political figure who had served as Secretary of State for European Affairs.

At Rothschild, Macron rose rapidly. In December 2010, he was promoted to the rank of associate-gérant (managing partner), a notable achievement for someone of his age in the world of French investment banking. He advised on several high-profile deals, the most significant of which was Nestlé's acquisition of a division of Pfizer; the deal was valued at approximately $12 billion and reportedly earned Macron a substantial personal income during this period. Macron later disclosed details about his earnings from this period during his 2017 presidential campaign, stating that he had earned approximately €2.8 million during his years in banking.

His years at Rothschild cemented Macron's reputation as a figure who moved comfortably between the worlds of government and high finance, a duality that would both serve him and attract criticism throughout his political career.

Adviser to President Hollande

Macron had been a member of the Socialist Party from 2006 to 2009, a relatively brief affiliation that reflected both his initial left-leaning orientation and his increasing discomfort with traditional party structures. Despite having left the party, he joined the campaign team of François Hollande during the 2012 presidential election.

Following Hollande's victory, Macron was appointed deputy secretary-general of the Élysée Palace, a key behind-the-scenes role in the French presidency. In this capacity, he served as an economic adviser, working on matters relating to France's industrial policy, competitiveness, and business environment. His role at the Élysée quickly drew attention from the business community, where he was seen as a reassuring figure for employers and investors concerned about the direction of Hollande's economic policies.

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. The appointment was notable because Macron had never held elected office and was not a member of any political party at the time. His selection signalled Hollande's desire to pursue business-friendly economic reforms in the face of sluggish growth and rising unemployment.

As economics minister, Macron championed legislation that came to bear his name — the so-called "Loi Macron" (Macron Law), passed in 2015. The law included a series of measures aimed at liberalising certain sectors of the French economy, including deregulation of Sunday trading, the opening up of the intercity coach market, and reforms to regulated professions such as notaries and bailiffs. The legislation proved controversial within the Socialist Party and was ultimately passed using Article 49.3 of the French Constitution, which allows the government to adopt a bill without a vote in the National Assembly, unless a motion of censure is tabled and passed.

Macron's tenure as minister solidified his public profile but also generated friction with the left wing of the Socialist Party and trade unions, who viewed his reforms as excessively oriented toward market liberalisation. He was increasingly perceived as charting an independent course within the Hollande government.

Founding of En Marche! and the 2017 Presidential Campaign

On 6 April 2016, Macron founded the political movement En Marche! (later renamed La République En Marche!, and subsequently Renaissance). The movement was positioned as neither left nor right but centrist and pro-European, seeking to transcend the traditional divide in French politics. He resigned from his position as economics minister in August 2016 to focus on building the movement and preparing a presidential campaign.

Macron formally announced his candidacy for the 2017 presidential election in November 2016. His campaign emphasised European integration, economic modernisation, digital innovation, and a break with the established political parties. The campaign was boosted by the implosion of the centre-right candidacy of François Fillon, who became embroiled in a financial scandal (the Fillon affair) involving payments to his wife for allegedly fictitious employment.

In the first round of voting on 23 April 2017, Macron finished first with approximately 24 percent of the vote, advancing to the second round against Marine Le Pen. On 7 May 2017, Macron won the presidency with approximately 66 percent of the vote. At 39, he became the youngest president in the history of the Fifth Republic. In the subsequent legislative elections of June 2017, his newly renamed party La République En Marche! secured a large majority in the National Assembly, providing him with a strong legislative mandate.

First Presidential Term (2017–2022)

Macron's first term was characterised by an ambitious programme of domestic reform, a prominent role in European and international affairs, and significant social unrest.

Domestic Policy

In his early months in office, Macron moved to reform France's labour laws through executive orders (ordonnances), loosening regulations on hiring and firing and giving companies more flexibility in negotiating working conditions at the firm level. He also oversaw a reduction of the wealth tax (ISF) — replacing it with a tax focused solely on real estate assets — and introduced a flat tax on capital income. These measures drew fierce criticism from the political left and labour unions, and opponents dubbed him the "president of the rich."

The most significant domestic challenge of his first term came with the emergence of the yellow vests (gilets jaunes) movement in late 2018. Triggered initially by a planned fuel tax increase linked to the ecological transition, the protests expanded into a broader expression of economic grievance by working- and middle-class citizens who felt left behind by globalisation and government policy. The protests, which at times turned violent, forced Macron to withdraw the fuel tax increase and announce a series of concessions, including an increase in the minimum wage and tax relief for pensioners.

In late 2019 and early 2020, another wave of strikes and protests erupted in response to the government's proposed pension reform, which sought to unify France's complex system of more than 40 pension regimes into a single universal points-based system. The reform was a central pledge of Macron's 2017 campaign but faced intense opposition from trade unions, particularly in the transport sector.

COVID-19 Pandemic

Beginning in early 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic dominated the political agenda. Macron's government imposed strict nationwide lockdowns in March 2020 and again in late October 2020, and subsequently oversaw one of the largest vaccination campaigns in Europe. The economic fallout was severe, with France experiencing its sharpest recession since World War II, and the government responded with hundreds of billions of euros in state-backed loans, short-time work schemes, and direct aid to businesses.

Foreign Policy

Macron pursued an active international agenda centred on European integration, multilateralism, and the defence of the liberal international order. He called for a more sovereign and strategically autonomous European Union and signed the Treaty of Aachen with Germany in January 2019, aimed at deepening Franco-German cooperation. He also signed the Quirinal Treaty with Italy in 2019, strengthening bilateral ties.

His foreign policy included the continuation of French military operations against the Islamic State through Opération Chammal and an evolving policy toward Africa's Sahel region. Macron conducted approximately €40 billion in trade and business agreements with China during the period of the China–United States trade war, while also navigating diplomatic tensions with the United States and Australia over the AUKUS security pact announced in September 2021, which led to the cancellation of a major French submarine contract with Australia.

Following the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Macron joined the international condemnation of Russia and supported EU sanctions, military and financial aid to Ukraine, and diplomatic efforts to end the conflict. He maintained a policy of dialogue with Russian President Vladimir Putin during the crisis's early stages, a stance that drew both support and criticism.

Re-election in 2022

In April 2022, Macron stood for re-election. He advanced to the second round for a second time against Marine Le Pen. On 24 April 2022, he won with approximately 58.5 percent of the vote, becoming the first French president to win re-election since Jacques Chirac in 2002. His margin of victory, however, was narrower than in 2017, reflecting a more polarised electorate and growing support for the far right.

The legislative elections that followed in June 2022 delivered a setback: Macron's centrist coalition, the Ensemble alliance, lost its absolute majority in the National Assembly, resulting in a hung parliament. This was the first time since 1993 that a French government lacked a parliamentary majority, and it significantly constrained Macron's ability to pass legislation.

Second Presidential Term (2022–present)

Pension Reform of 2023

The most politically charged act of Macron's second term was the push to raise the retirement age from 62 to 64. The reform, spearheaded by Prime Minister Élisabeth Borne, was passed in early 2023 using Article 49.3 of the Constitution after the government determined it could not secure a majority vote in the National Assembly. The decision triggered large-scale public sector strikes and protests across France, some of which turned violent. The pension reform deepened the divide between Macron's government and both the left-wing opposition and a substantial portion of the French public.

Ongoing Foreign Policy and International Engagement

Macron has continued to play a prominent role in international affairs during his second term. He has remained one of the principal European voices in support of Ukraine, advocating for continued military and financial assistance. In February 2026, Macron convened a meeting of the "Coalition of the Willing" in Paris on the third anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, aimed at coordinating further support for Kyiv among willing European partners.

Macron has also engaged actively with the trade and economic challenges posed by the United States under the presidency of Donald Trump. In February 2026, he wrote to Trump asking him to lift sanctions imposed on European officials. Following a U.S. Supreme Court ruling on Trump's tariff policies, Macron publicly stated that the ruling demonstrated the importance of "counterweights to power in democracies" and indicated France would "look closely at the exact consequences" and "adapt" to the new trade environment.

In economic diplomacy, Macron has pursued closer ties with India, framing the Franco-Indian relationship around technology and innovation.

Domestic Developments in 2026

In February 2026, Macron named David Amiel, a 33-year-old close ally, as the new budget minister, tasked with implementing the 2026 budget that had been agreed only the previous month. The appointment underscored the ongoing challenges of managing France's public finances amid a fractured parliament and a difficult international trade environment.

Macron also faced domestic security challenges in early 2026. Following the fatal beating of a far-right activist named Quentin Deranque in Lyon, which led to a tribute march of approximately 3,200 people, Macron called for calm and announced a government meeting to discuss "violent action groups."

Personal Life

Macron married Brigitte Trogneux on 20 October 2007 in Le Touquet-Paris-Plage. Brigitte, née Trogneux, had been his French and drama teacher at the Lycée La Providence in Amiens when Macron was a teenager. She is twenty-four years his senior. The couple's age difference and the circumstances of their meeting have been a subject of considerable public commentary throughout Macron's career. Brigitte Macron, who had three children from a previous marriage, has served as France's first lady since 2017 and has taken on a public role focused on education, disability, and cultural patronage.

Macron has spoken publicly about the importance of his relationship with his wife and has pushed back against media speculation about his personal life during various points of his career. He does not have biological children of his own but has described himself as a stepfather and step-grandfather.

Recognition

As the youngest president in the history of the French Fifth Republic, Macron's election in 2017 attracted global attention and was the subject of extensive international media coverage. He was frequently profiled in major international publications, and his political movement was analysed as part of a broader centrist and reformist trend in European politics.

Macron's role in European and international diplomacy has placed him among the most prominent leaders in Europe, particularly in the context of the EU's response to Brexit, the COVID-19 pandemic, and the Russian invasion of Ukraine. His calls for European strategic autonomy and his efforts to strengthen the Franco-German axis within the EU have been subjects of considerable academic and journalistic analysis.

Macron's political career has also been the subject of scrutiny and criticism. He has been characterised by opponents as overly aligned with business and financial interests, a critique that emerged during his time at Rothschild & Co and persisted through his presidency. His rapid rise from relative political obscurity to the presidency generated both admiration and suspicion, with some commentators questioning the networks and structures that facilitated his ascent.

Legacy

Macron's presidency, still ongoing as of 2026, has reshaped the landscape of French politics in several measurable ways. The founding of En Marche! in 2016 and its subsequent electoral success disrupted the dominance of the traditional centre-left Socialist Party and centre-right Les Républicains, both of which suffered historic losses in the 2017 and 2022 elections. The emergence of a centrist force as the governing party represented a structural shift in French politics, though the fragmentation of the National Assembly following the 2022 legislative elections demonstrated the limits of that realignment.

His economic reforms — particularly the labour law changes of 2017 and the pension reform of 2023 — have altered the regulatory and fiscal framework of the French economy, though their long-term effects remain a subject of debate among economists and policymakers. The yellow vests movement, which emerged in direct response to his policies, became one of the most significant popular mobilisations in France in decades and prompted a re-evaluation of the social contract between the state and rural and peri-urban populations.

In European and international affairs, Macron's advocacy for European strategic autonomy, his efforts to maintain a dialogue with major global powers, and his response to the Ukraine conflict have positioned France as a central actor in European security and diplomacy. His convening of the "Coalition of the Willing" in February 2026 represented one of the more recent manifestations of this approach.

The long-term assessment of Macron's impact on French politics, the European Union, and international relations will depend in significant part on the outcome of his remaining time in office and on whether the political movement he founded endures beyond his presidency.