French optimism after World Cup win should help Emmanuel Macron’s popularity
But Macron’s lieutenants do not want the president to be accused of leveraging the World Cup, even if Macron and his wife were in Moscow to watch the final
Paris — It looks like Emmanuel Macron just got lucky again. France’s thrilling 4-2 triumph over Croatia in the football World Cup final on Sunday, their second world cup win after home success in 1998 that ushered in a wave of national optimism, is the sort of good-news fillip most presidents can only dream of. After 14 months in power, Macron’s poll ratings have been falling steadily, down to barely 40%. Despite overseeing a raft of economic and social reforms, the former investment banker has been labelled "president of the rich" by many left-wing critics, and the tag has stuck. Recent controversies over spending on official crockery, a swimming pool built at a presidential retreat, and cutting remarks about the costs of welfare have reinforced the image of a leader out of touch with the people, at least in some minds. But just as he took advantage of an extraordinary series of lucky breaks during the 2017 presidential campaign, including the implosion of the conservative front-ru...
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