Macron becomes meme-in-chief Why world leaders mock the French president

French President Emmanuel Macron has once again taken the internet by storm, becoming the top meme worldwide. His appearance in sunglasses at the World Economic Forum in Davos sparked a wave of online ridicule, and explanations about a burst blood vessel in his eye did nothing to quell the mockery.

Edited images of the French president have been circulating widely on social media: in one, he is portrayed as Morpheus from The Matrix, while in others, users have swapped his aviator sunglasses for playful, childlike butterfly-shaped glasses. The mockery escalated when prominent world leaders joined in. For instance, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer posted a clip on TikTok from the show Political Party Live, in which he dons sunglasses and says the French word “bonjour.” In the caption, he tagged Macron’s account and wrote, “Talk to me, Goose,” a reference to Top Gun, whose protagonist wears a similar style of sunglasses.

U.S. President Donald Trump also took a jab at Macron in his dark sunglasses. “I watched him yesterday with those beautiful sunglasses. What the hell happened?” the White House chief said during a speech in Iowa. Another popular meme featuring the French president plays on his phrase “Yes, of course” from his Davos speech.

What explains such a rapid decline in the French president’s authority in the eyes of the world’s leading politicians? Caliber.Az turns to a foreign political analyst specialising in France and an international commentator from Israel for answers.

Alexander Gur-Arie, a political commentator for the Israeli TV channel ITON.TV, noted that if the legendary French president Charles de Gaulle were to rise from the dead, he would strangle his successor with his own hands, as under him, France is confidently heading toward disaster.

“Although, to be fair, it’s not just France: in many countries where socialists come to power, a crisis is raging today, because the bourgeois-socialist economy they advocate has long outlived itself and has no future.

In the Fifth Republic, protests erupt over virtually any issue, and the government’s attempts to halt the economic decline or take meaningful action are met with fierce resistance from the masses. Trade unions have grown so powerful that the authorities simply cannot handle them. How many prime ministers has Macron replaced? It’s approaching a record. Currently, he is trying to shift voters’ attention to the country’s foreign policy, involving himself indiscriminately in conflicts across the globe.

Let’s recall how France repeatedly—and with a persistence that might have been better applied elsewhere—intervened in the South Caucasus, attempting to act as either mediator or arbitrator between Armenia and Azerbaijan, until President Aliyev and Prime Minister Pashinyan waved off the intermediaries, saying, ‘Enough, we’ll handle the negotiations ourselves.’ Next came an attempt to intervene in Syria, but Assad was overthrown, and now President Erdoğan keeps France at arm’s length from the region. Then it was Lebanon’s turn, but the U.S. and Israel are now active there, leaving Macron sidelined once again. As a result, the French president is searching for any opportunity to make his mark; as the saying goes, for publicity, any excuse will do—except for an obituary.

Political missteps have gradually turned the French president into a familiar target for ridicule among various politicians. His authority was hardly boosted by the slap he reportedly received from his wife on board a plane. As for Keir Starmer’s jabs, the British have long taken any opportunity to tease the French. Things are very bad; the ‘Gallic rooster,’ as I sometimes call Macron, currently enjoys little respect among world leaders,” Gur-Arie stated.

Meanwhile, Belarusian political analyst, PhD in Political Science, and Francophone expert Borislav Osinchuk, believes that France’s domestic problems have become something of an embarrassing meme among the world’s top politicians.

“A politician who constantly claims the role of a global arbiter but cannot resolve the political and economic issues of his own country severely undermines his status and erodes trust. Macron’s continual government reshuffles and the transformation of the Fifth Republic into an unstable state with low economic and social ratings have led Western politicians to view the French president as a caricature.

In France, Macron faces a deep trust deficit. Last fall, more than 100 members of parliament called for his impeachment, accusing the head of state of betraying the people and failing to pull the country out of a political crisis. According to a survey by the French Public Opinion Institute, shortly before the New Year, Macron’s approval rating stood at just 19 per cent—down 5 per cent from August 2025—with 81 per cent of respondents expressing negative opinions about his performance. Macron has yet to steer the country out of crisis: France’s economic situation continues to worsen, and several global banks and currency funds have begun denying even basic loans.

Therefore, Macron’s attempts to make statements on prestigious political platforms are widely perceived by many politicians as nothing more than meme-worthy posturing—every action he takes is seen as a loser’s spectacle. Yet, strangely enough, it can be assumed that the French president, in order to hold on to his seat until 2027, will do everything possible to draw attention to himself, making frequent statements. These could include new remarks about China’s policies or criticism of the United States. There will be little constructive content in them, but plenty of claims and ambitions,” Osinchuk concluded.