When Emmanuel Macron took office in May 2017, the inauguration was nothing short of grandiose: military parades, cannon fire, and a solitary march across the expansive courtyard of the Élysée Palace. At 39, he was hailed as a social-liberal Napoleon—youthful, articulate, and pro-European. Eight years on, that initial lustre has faded. Macron now appears as a technocratic figurehead, with dwindling public confidence in his ability to navigate France—and Europe—through turbulent times.
Despite being a product of programmes like the World Economic Forum's Young Global Leaders Forum, Macron pales in comparison to contemporary power players such as Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin, Xi Jinping, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, and Benjamin Netanyahu. Evidently lacking in vision and instinct, he exudes the detachment of a technocrat, devoid of genuine charisma.
Charisma in a Crisis
Max Weber posited that in times of crisis, authority derived from charisma becomes paramount. Populations gravitate towards leaders who embody confidence and inspire trust—not merely intellectually but through public appearances. Macron's advisors have endeavoured to amplify his public appeal through them, including having him don military attire following Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine. However, such attempts, notably the contentious photoshoot in a green military T-shirt, failed to resonate, especially when juxtaposed with Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelensky's more authentic attire, given his country is actually at war.
Diplomatic overtures, such as Macron's dialogues with Putin, have yielded negligible results, and portrayed him as an inexperienced negotiator. In contrast, Donald Trump's charisma—though not to everyone’s taste—commands attention. While Macron’s approval ratings have recovered, this rebound likely owes less to domestic enthusiasm than to the ease with which he contrasts himself with more polarising figures such as Trump or Putin.
