An Interview with Xavier Poussard

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DERgxU6AbNk

This is supposedly an interview but Xavier Poussard just talks non-stop and the bald guy with the glasses just nods, for 11 minutes straight.  Here is a summary according to ChatGPT:

Summary of Xavier Poussard’s Interview

• Origin of the Rumor:
  The controversy began with Natacha Rey, who was placed in police custody. A video with a clairvoyant [Amadine Roy] and later coverage by journalist Emmanuel Anison [Emmanuelle Anizon]

•  helped push the rumor into mainstream attention. Anison wrote a book on the topic which, even though it concluded the rumor was false, still raised unsettling questions for the Macron couple.

• Macron’s Public Reaction:
  Emmanuel Macron himself spoke emotionally about the situation on French television, calling it one of his worst memories as president. This elevated the rumor into international news, since major agencies like AFP and Reuters picked it up, spreading it into the U.S. press (e.g., New York Post) and eventually to Candace Owens.

• Candace Owens’ Role:
  Owens received a long legal letter from Macron’s lawyers, demanding she retract or face defamation charges. She responded by asking for simple evidence (e.g., family photos of Brigitte’s alleged brother Jean-Michel Trogneux). When no answers came, she turned the dispute into a video series (“Becoming Brigitte”), framing it as investigative infotainment. Each new legal response from Macron’s lawyers only fueled more publicity.

• Court Cases in France:
  Brigitte Macron sued Natacha Rey and Amandine Roy. The appeals court, however, overturned earlier rulings, dismissing dozens of alleged defamatory passages—seen as a total victory for the defendants. Despite this, the Macrons pursued further appeals, prolonging the controversy.

• Public Relations “Backfire”:
  Poussard argues the Macrons’ communications strategy amplified the rumor rather than suppressing it. Each official denial, lawsuit, or statement made the story grow internationally. He calls it a textbook case of “what not to do” in public relations, predicting it will be studied in communications schools.

• His Own Involvement:
  Poussard says he is wrongly treated as an instigator of the rumor simply because he covered it in his paper-only magazine Faits & Documents. He insists he never spread it online (pointing out he only joined X/Twitter later), so cyberbullying charges against him make no sense. He criticizes the French justice system for devoting heavy police resources to trivial actions like tracing people who retweeted jokes.

• Legal Overreach and Absurdities:
  He describes how prosecutors and police in Italy (where he resides) and France fail to understand the basis of the charges. He notes Brigitte Macron refused psychiatric evaluation, which would normally be required to prove psychological harm in a cyberharassment case. He finds it disturbing that vast state resources were mobilized to investigate ordinary citizens over retweets.

• Broader Point:
  To Poussard, the whole affair shows both the fragility of the presidential couple under rumor pressure and the misuse of state and legal power. He frames it as a sign of unhealthy political overreach rather than a simple defamation case.

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Update:  I have never heard of Emmanuelle Anizon (or Emmanuel Anison) before.  Here is a link to her book "L'affaire Madame".  It would be worth getting if you read French and have $30 (+ tax and shipping) burning a hole in your pocket.

The summary: 

Une histoire de notre temps.Le 10 décembre 2021, une certaine Natacha Rey, se présentant comme journaliste indépendante, explique dans une interview sur YouTube que Brigitte Macron serait un homme. En 48 heures, la vidéo atteint 500 000 vues et l’histoire est reprise par les médias français et internationaux, contraignant la Première dame à porter plainte.Pendant plus d’un an, Emmanuelle Anizon a suivi Natacha Rey et ceux qui l’aident dans sa « quête de vérité ». Dans ce livre, elle raconte sa plongée dans le monde des complotistes – qu’elle préfère appeler « les défiants » – et ses rencontres avec les protagonistes des deux camps.Que révèle cette affaire de la confrontation devenue omniprésente entre information et désinformation ? Du fossé grandissant entre des citoyens défiants et des élites perçues comme coupables ? Que dit-elle de notre faillite collective ? Pour tenter de répondre à ces questions, Emmanuelle Anizon retrace, de l’intérieur et sans surplomb, l’itinéraire de cette histoire folle. Une passionnante immersion.

A story of our times. On December 10, 2021, a certain Natacha Rey, presenting herself as an independent journalist, explained in a YouTube interview that Brigitte Macron was a man. Within 48 hours, the video reached 500,000 views and the story was picked up by the French and international media, forcing the First Lady to file a complaint. For more than a year, Emmanuelle Anizon followed Natacha Rey and those who helped her in her "quest for truth." In this book, she recounts her immersion into the world of conspiracy theorists—whom she prefers to call "the defiants"—and her encounters with the protagonists of both camps. What does this affair reveal about the now ubiquitous confrontation between information and disinformation? About the growing gap between defiant citizens and elites perceived as guilty? What does it say about our collective failure? In an attempt to answer these questions, Emmanuelle Anizon retraces, from the inside and without overlooking, the journey of this crazy story. A fascinating immersion.