French press review 7 January 2017

This morning, Donald Trump makes (yet again) the headlines of both Le Monde and Le Figaro, while Francois Fillon, looking sheepish, makes Libération’s.

Le Monde headlines “Trump’s wars”, citing the CIA, Obamacare, and well, general diplomatie. The paper says the transition between President Barack Obama and Trump will be a chaotic one.

This comes in the middle of a spying/rigging scandal in which Russian President Vladimir Putin sought to help Donald Trump win the presidential election, according to a US intelligence report.

Le Monde says that the upcoming president is the incarnation of “plutocracy” - which is a form of oligarchy that defines a society ruled or controlled by the small minority of the wealthiest citizens.

But Le Monde says the main issue opposing Obama and Trump, first and foremost, is Obamacare (which Trump wants to revoke). Then follows pretty much everything related to the environment, but also the nuclear agreement with Iran. So follow up will definitely be needed here.

Le Figaro headlines “How Trump wants to disrupt everything”, and in doing so, impose his very own mark in the White House. The article starts off by saying “Trump wants it all”.

He wants to reduce taxes and increase spending without worsening the national deficit. He wants to bring back heavy industries and coal mines in addition to boosting petrol production, thus lifting environmental constraints and at the same time keeping the air pure and the water clean…

He wants to take down the Islamic State armed group, but leave Iraq and Syria to their fate; he wants to have Putin as his close ally, but does not want to become his “vassal”; defy China, while sugar-coating its ambassador; and maintain peace in the Middle East while moving his embassy to Jerusalem. 

All eyes will be on him as he tries to figure all of this out, that’s for sure. If you’re not on Twitter, be sure to sign up, that’s where you’ll get your latest news from now on.

Since one of the main issues we will have to look at with Trump is his relations with China, let's highlight an article in Libération that headlines “China number one on the renewable energies podium."

It says that in this domain, China represents 17% of the world’s investments - that is almost 100 billion euros.

And contrary to Europeans' general thinking, the development of this sector in China is seen as killing two birds with one stone: creating more jobs while securing a healthier environment for the people.

Let’s not forget, Libération highlights, that it was China which pushed the United States to ratify the Paris agreement. That is how much of a leader in international climate negotiations it became.

Let’s get back to France with Libération’s main story on Francois Fillon, which they headline on the cover as being “stuck” and inside the pages. The paper suggests he might have “bitten off more than he can chew”.

The article says that Fillon might have been a tad too optimistic thinking he could convince government employees to work more without getting a raise.

Because according to his five-year plan, 500,000 of these employees will be sacked, and the remaining 5.1 million others will have to go back to working 39 hours a week instead of the current 35, and of course, that without financial compensation.

Echoing this article, Le Monde gives the floor to Francois Bayrou, centrist politician and the president of the Democratic Movement with this headline: “Fillion’s political leanings are worrying."

Bayrou says that although he agreed with the man before the primaries, news of his programme worries him. He worries that Fillon is a “victim of the elections."

Bayrou says the programme is a bit too radical for a France that needs moral support and encouragement in the thriving of its activities.

Le Figaro chose though to talk about former economy minister Emmanuel Macron, saying that while everyone is talking about the upcoming Socialist primaries, due to be held on January 22, Macron is slowly but surely paving his way to the top.

And for this, he really wants to invade the media sphere as well. He plans to accomplish this by travelling throughout France, starting with former President Francois Mitterrand’s former stomping grounds. A coincidence? Maybe not.