France’s Macron tells teenager: Call me ‘monsieur’
A video of French President Emmanuel Macron admonishing a teenager who called him by a nickname went viral on social media Tuesday.
The video shows Macron shaking hands in a crowd, when the teenager — using a diminutive for Macron’s first name — asks him: “How’s it going, Manu?”
Macron stops and responds: “Call me ‘Mr. President of the republic,’ or ‘monsieur.’”
He then adds: “The day you want to start a revolution, get a degree and learn to feed yourself, OK? You can start lecturing others then.”
The exchange occurred Monday at a ceremony commemorating Charles De Gaulle’s historic appeal for armed resistance against Nazi tyranny.
Macron tweeted a video of the discussion, prompting a flood of comments Tuesday. Some applauded the French leader’s demand for respect, while others criticized what they saw as his arrogance.
Sign up for Essential California
The most important California stories and recommendations in your inbox every morning.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
