Credits: Пресс-служба Президента Российской Федерации / Wikimedia Commons — CC BY 4.0.
On Thursday, July 4, 2024, Faustine Bollaert is said to have been contacted directly by Emmanuel Macron. The President of the Republic wanted her to host a major program in which he would appear, but the presenter is said to have turned down the offer.
Emmanuel Macron was considering speaking in prime time shortly after announcing the dissolution of the National Assembly on June 9, 2024. The Élysée was then said to have discussed with France 2 and TF1 to organize a special newscast on June 23 in order to convince the French people of the need for this surprise dissolution.
However, another idea emerged: inviting Faustine Bollaert, host of Ça commence aujourd’hui, to conduct a major one-on-one interview. The Head of State thus hoped to reach a broad and diverse audience. A source close to the Élysée confirms this idea among others, but Faustine Bollaert is said to have declined the offer, fearing her viewers would misunderstand.
Despite a personal call from Emmanuel Macron to persuade her, the host stood by her refusal, believing that this kind of interview would be inappropriate in the current context. In the end, Emmanuel Macron limited himself to addressing the French people in a letter published in the daily regional press.