French Presidential Couple Files Defamation Suit Against Candace Owens

PARIS -- The first couple of France has initiated a defamation lawsuit against U.S. conservative commentator Candace Owens, seeking significant damages in response to her claims that Brigitte Macron, the wife of President Emmanuel Macron, is a man. This legal action, filed Wednesday in a Delaware court, follows a year of unsuccessful efforts to engage with Owens and persuade her to cease her assertions.

Tom Clare, the couple's attorney, stated that the lawsuit represents a necessary step after Owens consistently mocked their attempts to rectify the misinformation. He emphasized that the Macrons have been married since 2007 and that Emmanuel Macron has served as the president of France since 2017. In a video, Owens dismissed the lawsuit as a "desperate public relations strategy" and reiterated her claims about Brigitte Macron.

Owens, who has garnered a substantial following on YouTube, has faced criticism for her controversial statements, including a past incident where she was denied entry into New Zealand and Australia due to her remarks denying the existence of Nazi medical experiments on Jewish individuals during World War II.

The lawsuit filed against Owens outlines comprehensive evidence affirming that Brigitte Macron was born a woman and has always identified as such, according to the couple's legal counsel. The attorney indicated that the damage claim would be addressed during the trial, and if Owens continues her assertions leading up to the court date, the damages sought could be considerable.

The presidential office in Paris has not issued a comment on the matter as of yet.

The couple has been the target of various conspiracy theories in France, including false claims about Brigitte Macron's gender identity, which allege that she was born as a man named Jean-Michel Trogneux; however, Jean-Michel Trogneux is actually her brother. In September, Brigitte and her brother successfully won a defamation case against two women who had been fined and ordered to pay damages for disseminating similar accusations online. Recently, however, a Paris appeals court overturned this ruling, prompting Brigitte and her brother to appeal to France's highest court.

Emmanuel Macron, 47, is currently in his second and final term as president, while Brigitte Macron, who celebrated her 72nd birthday in April, was previously a teacher at the high school where the couple first met. Their relationship has been under scrutiny since they began dating when Macron was a student and Brigitte was a married mother of three. The couple married after Brigitte divorced her first husband and moved to Paris to support Macron's educational pursuits.

Recently, the couple's interactions made headlines when footage emerged of Brigitte playfully pushing Emmanuel away as they disembarked from a plane during a Southeast Asian tour. Emmanuel later described the moment as trivial and indicative of the couple's playful dynamic.