My conversation with French President Emmanuel Macron was quick and absolutely unexpected. But in less than a minute he did not hesitate to show his sympathy for former president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) and his hostility towards Jair Bolsonaro (PL).
It was by complete chance that I met the newly re-elected leader last Friday (3). I was having dinner with a colleague at a small restaurant in Paris, where I have lived for eight years. The movement was weak and there were only three tables occupied in the room. We realized that something different was about to happen when some men, who would later become clear to be plainclothes security guards, started walking around the restaurant and checking out the surroundings.
A few minutes later, Brigitte Macron, First Lady of France, entered the room, accompanied by her husband. The presidential couple smiled at the few present who recognized them and soon disappeared into a small, private room.
I know the owner of the place, a Portuguese, and I’ve heard him talk about his friendship with Macron and Brigitte, old customers. They had frequented the space since before Macron entered politics, said the owner of the establishment. Even an occasional customer of the place, I never imagined that I could meet them – one of the most powerful people in the world, five years in the Presidency, would have changed a prosaic habit like having lunch in a neighborhood restaurant.
Macron and Brigitte spent less than an hour at the restaurant, and by the time they had finished eating, the other tables were gone. It was just me and my friend. As the couple prepared to leave, I took the liberty of approaching them. It did not seem convenient to me to discuss French politics, despite having several criticisms of the politician. I wanted to talk about the relationship between Brazil and France.
When I said I was Brazilian, Macron asked me if I knew Lula. I replied that the last time I had seen the former president was in November 2021, when I attended a lecture by him at Sciences Po — the university where I studied and work, which awarded the former president an honorary doctorate ten years ago. Always smiling, the French leader replied that it was a great joy to receive Lula at the Élysée Palace, on the same trip last year.
Macron asked me what I was doing in Paris, to which I replied that I was a professor of Political Science, with research on the phenomenon of populism. “Relevant topic,” said the politician. “In France and Brazil,” I replied. “We need to defeat populism, here and in Brazil”, concluded the French president.
I don’t know if I agree with Macron’s last sentence — after all, I don’t think populism is a bad word or necessarily synonymous with an attack on democracy — but I left the restaurant with little doubt about what his supporters should be in this year’s Brazilian elections.
