Claims Brigitte Macron is a Man Could Seriously Harm US-French Relations: Report

Conspiracy theory is quickly gaining ground in Trump circles.

This article originally appeared on m o d e r n i t y and was republished with permission.

Guest post by @ModernityNews

Claims that Emmanuel Macron’s wife Brigitte Macron is actually a man could seriously harm international relations between the United States and France, according to a report by the Telegraph.

The source of the claim is a 2021 article which appeared in the French journal Faits et Documents asserting that the 71-year-old first lady and her brother Jean-Michel Trogneux were actually the same person.

According to the conspiracy theory, Trogneux was actually Brigitte, who transitioned from male to female at the age of 30 and went on to date Macron when he was 15 and she was 40.

The topic was later picked up by commentator Candace Owens, who called the issue “likely the biggest scandal that has ever happened in politics in human history” and made a series of YouTube videos about it.

Her claims were recently echoed by Tucker Carlson, who initially said he thought Owens was crazy, but that “it turns out she’s right.”

Owens said she has received legal letters from a law firm representing the Macrons telling her the claims are “defamatory” and that Brigitte doesn’t need to prove she is a biological woman because, “Frankly, it is none of your business.”

According to a new report by the Telegraph, which describes the theory as “absurd,” it risks seriously damaging diplomatic relations between America and France.

“Relations between France and America might be about to get even frostier,” reports the newspaper, noting that “associates of Trump” are becoming increasingly interested in the story.

The article quotes Sander van der Linden, professor of social psychology in society at the University of Cambridge, who suggests the conspiracy theory is being fueled as part of a Russian disinformation campaign, although no evidence is cited for this.

“It’s not inconceivable that if the rumour becomes associated with supporters of Trump, the issue could add further strain to an already tricky relationship between the US president and his French counterpart,” concludes the report.

Relations between the two countries are already fraught after French politician Raphaël Glucksmann suggested France should take back the Statue of Liberty as punishment for Trump trying to “side with the tyrants” over the Russia-Ukraine war.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt responded by saying that if it weren’t for America, the French would be “speaking German right now.”

The Telegraph article offered little in the way of debunking the actual claims made by Owens and Carlson, but went to great lengths to assert that merely exploring the topic is dangerous.

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