French President Emmanuel Macron blasted online provocateur Candace Owens as a liar who “knew very well that she was spreading false information” about his wife Brigitte being born male.
The French leader criticized Owens in his first public comments since filing a defamation suit in Delaware last month, telling the Paris Match magazine that the conspiracy theorist pushed vile lies “with the aim of causing harm, in the service of an ideology.”
The president told the publication that he rejected aides’ advice to drop the matter and instead decided to pursue litigation because it was “a matter of defending my honor.”
“They’re talking about the identity of the first lady of France, of a wife, mother and grandmother. It’s a matter of defending my honor,” Macron said.
The French leader said he was compelled to take legal action due to Owens’ considerable reach in the US.
“This has become such a big issue in the United States that we had to respond,” Macron said Tuesday. “It’s a question of having the truth respected.”
Owens fired back on her podcast Wednesday, mocking the French president as “such a little punk” and “a big weenie” for refusing to say her name during the interview.
“He will not say my name! I feel like Destiny’s Child! He’s acting kinda shady… Macron, say my name!” the controversial commentator fumed.
The bitter feud erupted after Owens produced an eight-part podcast series titled “Becoming Brigitte” that pushed wild conspiracy theories about France’s first couple and their relationship.
The Macrons’ lawsuit accuses Owens of spreading the transgender rumor to “promote her independent platform, gain notoriety, and make money.”
Macron revealed the couple initially resisted taking legal action when the allegations first surfaced in France, fearing they’d trigger the Streisand effect — amplifying the lies by fighting them.
But as Owens’ claims gained traction in America, the French president said they couldn’t stay silent any longer.
“[Owens] is someone who knew very well that she was spreading false information and did so with the aim of causing harm,” Macron alleged.
He added that Owens had “established connections to far-right leaders” while espousing her views.
Owens and her supporters have denounced the lawsuit as an attempt by a foreign government to roll back an American journalist’s First Amendment rights.
Macron dismissed that defense, arguing that free speech doesn’t shield Owens from consequences for spreading malicious “nonsense” about his wife.
The French president then took a swipe at the MAGA movement, suggesting its free speech warriors were hypocrites.
“Those talking about so-called freedom of speech are the same ones banning reporters from the Oval Office,” he said.
His comment referenced the White House’s recent decision to bar Associated Press journalists from the Oval Office and Air Force One after the organization’s coverage of President Trump’s renaming of the Gulf of Mexico.
Owens interpreted Macron’s White House criticism as a direct shot at Trump himself.
“[Macron’s statement about the White House not letting pool reporters in] sounds like a jab at Trump,” she said on her podcast.
The Macrons have categorically denied every allegation Owens made in her series about Brigitte’s background and their marriage.
French advisors had warned the presidential couple that responding to the rumors could backfire by drawing more attention to them.
But Macron insisted the American spread of the conspiracy theories made silence impossible.
The Delaware lawsuit marks a rare instance of a foreign head of state suing an American media personality for defamation.
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