French President Emmanuel Macron may have his hands full with his plan to boost economic growth, his fading bromance with President Donald Trump and a tiny ruckus over the price of new dinnerware for the Élysée Palace. But at a parade on Monday, he found time to impart a lesson in manners as well.
The lesson came at a commemoration of Charles de Gaulle’s famous “L’Appel du 18 Juin” speech of 1940 — which many consider to be the origin of French resistance to German occupation during World War II — at Mont Valérien, a fortress in Suresnes, a Paris suburb.
While greeting citizens who attended the celebration, a young man asked Macron, “Ça va Manu?” or, "How's it going, Manu?" referring to Macron with a shortened version of “Emmanuel.” Macron did not find this to be an appropriate way to greet the president, and quickly scolded the teenager.
"Non, non, non, non, non," he lectured.
Macron noted that because the young man was at an official ceremony, “tu te comportes comme il faut,” meaning that he must behave properly.
Macron continued, “Tu m'appelles ‘Monsieur le président de la République,’ ” telling the attendee that he must refer to Macron by his official title, or simply "Monsieur."
The young man apologized, and Macron left him with a few words of advice about following the proper order of things before he can “faire la revolution,” or “start the revolution.”
With a jovial pat on the arm, Macron moved on to shake the hands of other teenagers clamoring for his attention.
