Is the French president hooked on the e-cig?

Several photographs have been circulating online and in the press for some weeks: Emmanuel Macron is said to use an electronic cigarette. On Sunday 13 March, an official picture put an end to the speculation.

A “relaxed” president

For some weeks now, photographs have been appearing of Emmanuel Macron in a hooded sweatshirt, his hair dishevelled, or with three days of stubble. Is this a deliberate letting go, or an argument aimed at winning over his electorate?

Either way, these pictures were not stolen by paparazzi but taken by his official photographer, Soazig de la Moissonnière. It is the first time in five years in office that the head of state has been shown as an ordinary man.

The stress caused by his election campaign and by the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, coming after the Covid-19 episode, appears to have got the better of his nerves. Some newspapers go so far as to suggest that Emmanuel Macron lets himself go slightly whenever Brigitte is no longer there to keep an eye on things.

Emmanuel Macron photographed with a vaping device

The rumours were right: the president of the French Republic is a vaper. After several explicit pictures leaked online, on 13 March Soazig de la Moissonnière captured the French head of state with an electronic cigarette in his hand.

It has to be said that the pressure is at its height. The end of this term of office has been eventful, and the head of state, like any other human being, needs to shed some of that stress. According to the press, it is the e-cigarette that he now reaches for.

He is not the only political figure using an electronic cigarette to have been spotted by photographers and journalists. One of Emmanuel Macron’s rivals in the race for the Élysée also appears to be a user. For several months, Marine Le Pen has reportedly been turning away from cigarettes in favour of the e-cig. The habit seems to be catching, since several party loyalists have followed suit.