How the unforgiving Twittersphere judged France's brutal presidential debate
If you are looking for humourous, cutting and astute reaction to the French presidential debate then the best place to find it is in the Twittersphere. We've gathered the best reactions.
In case you missed the mammoth debate on Wednesday night, Emmanuel Macron and Marine Le Pen traded insults for 2.5 hours, after which Macron was deemed to be the "most convincing" by 64 percent of viewers, one survey found.
But the best judges, as always, were on Twitter... where no one was spared (not even the moderators).
Here are the highlights:
On Marine Le Pen:
This GIF went viral overnight. We're not sure exactly what Le Pen is playing at, but the tweeter below described it as "the flying saucer".
Sans le son c'est encore plus flagrant.
Le regard atterré et gêné de Macron quand MLP fait..la soucoupe volantepic.twitter.com/0aLKwiFf7w
— Guillaume Blardone (@gblardone) May 4, 2017
This tweeter suggested it was her "LSD moment".
#2017LeDébat over.
Highlight: Le Pen's LSD trip moment.pic.twitter.com/VRMkUqF9OC
— Yannis Koutsomitis (@YanniKouts) May 3, 2017
The tweeter below mocked Le Pen for not only making up information, as she was repeatedly accused of doing, but also for constantly blaming Macron for everything his Socialist government did when he was a minister.
"Le Pen: "Is the earth flat?". Macron: "No". Le Pen: "Yes it is, you flattened it when you were the Economy Minister.""
Résumé #2017LeDebat
Le Pen : La terre est plate ?
Macron : Non.
Le Pen : Si vous l'avez aplatie lorsque vous étiez ministre de l'économie.
— Antoine (@Ant1Adam) May 3, 2017
Others noted that Le Pen seemed to be avoiding any real policy talk in order to go on the offensive against Macron.
moderator: Mme LePen, explain your policy
LePen: attack attack
Again: could you explain your policy
LePen: attack attack
#2017LeDébat
— Luis Mejias (@LuisMejias_) May 3, 2017
While some tackled Le Pen's speech writing tactics...
"When you've printed out all the speeches from Francois Fillon, but then remember that they're useless in a debate," this tweet reads, referring to Le Pen's verbatim copying of a Fillon speech earlier this week.
Quand t'as imprimé tous les discours de François Fillon avant de venir mais que tu réalises que ça sert à rien dans un débat #2017LeDebat pic.twitter.com/WDANyZ2Ej3
— Antoine (@Ant1Adam) May 3, 2017
This one shows Le Pen's father Jean Marie and says "When you're searching for your daughter's dignity".
Quand tu cherches la dignité de ta fille. #2017LeDebat pic.twitter.com/uIWdF4SKMZ
— Caustique Twitto (@Freezze) May 3, 2017
Many tweeters took particular interest in the fact that Le Pen had so many files in front of her (Macron had none).
This one says: "When you left all your revision to the last minute."
Quand tu révises à la dernière minute #Debat2017 pic.twitter.com/xIyM5qvz3N
— Nabil Touati (@salam93) May 3, 2017
This tweet followed in the same line with a split pic of the pair showing Le Pen with files and Macron without.
"When you haven't revised for your baccalaureate and when you have," said the tweeter.
Quand tu n'as pas révisé avant le bac VS Quand tu as révisé.#2017LeDebat #debatpresidentiel pic.twitter.com/9L28g8kr7r
— keli_af (@kelio09) May 3, 2017
The tweeter below noted that the files were really starting to show (with a photoshopped picture, we should point out).
Ca commence vraiment à se voir cette histoire de fiches #LEDEBAT2017 pic.twitter.com/TLUEM2epJy
— Mathieu Flaig (@MathieuFlex) May 3, 2017
On Emmanuel Macron
While Le Pen was by far the target of most of the Twitter missiles, Macron didn't escape.
Many pointed out how many times he repeated the same words, with the tweeter below saying he sounded like a broken record.
Macron constantly dismissing Le Pen's ideas/words as lies, keeps on saying she is being stupid. Sounds like a broken record now #2017LeDébat
— Anna Laura Welsh (@AnnaLauraWelsh) May 3, 2017
This tweeter wasn't impressed with either candidate.
#2017LeDebat Pathetic presidential debate tonight. Worst in 30 years. Intellectual midget versus midget intellectual. Poor France.
— Cultural chameleon (@DeepestOntario) May 3, 2017
While the debate was indeed fiery, many were captivated by the look Macron was giving Le Pen in the screenshot below.
Quand BAE attend son bisou #2017LeDebat pic.twitter.com/pndxkjbhCt
— En 8 (@Chamsia_b) May 3, 2017
How about this? (Don't forget Macron is married to his high school teacher).
#2017LeDebat She'd better be careful with facts around this youngster. He might mistake her for his teacher. pic.twitter.com/ewxKtcDO7a
— J.D. Gravenor (@jdgravenor) May 3, 2017
And many were left intrigued when Macron said Le Pen's comments were nothing but "Poudre de Perlimpinpin" (or "fairy dust").
Here's a tweet showing Macron sprinkling Le Pen fairy dust along his arm, a reference to the Turkish chef Nusret Gökçe, better known as SaltBae, whose salt sprinkling antics recently swept the internet. Ok, let's move on now.
"Poudre de Perlimpinpin" #2017LeDebat pic.twitter.com/c10HYWLaRs
— Caustique Twitto (@Freezze) May 3, 2017
And no, the two moderators weren't spared.
The tweet below added a picture of the two political editors as part of a missing persons notice. "Alert! We are looking for these two journalists" it reads.
Alerte ! Nous sommes a la recherche des deux journalistes #2017LeDebat pic.twitter.com/CvM1dpNQYS
— Steven (@StevenJoly3) May 3, 2017
The tweeter below wasn't impressed by the moderators either.
The two journalists.#2017LeDebat pic.twitter.com/UQ4i6n55ks
— Ralph (@Aamchit) May 3, 2017
Nor was this tweeter.
If it was boxing (sorry again) it would be a match without a referee. Moderators absent. #LeGrandDebat
— Pierre Briançon (@pierrebri) May 3, 2017
But we'll leave the last word with those who noted that moderator Nathalie Saint-Cricq from France 2 had apparently lost control... or perhaps lost interest.
When you're supposed to moderate the french presidential debate, but you have serious doubts about your career choice #2017LeDebat pic.twitter.com/yHCyiIyOft
— A Yellow Poney (@AYellowPoney) May 3, 2017
60 million faces in one.#2017LeDebat pic.twitter.com/zAFeYUn5iy
— Emilie (@Emilie__Caron) May 4, 2017
#2017ledebat #Saint-Cricq is the only adult on set and the kids won't listen!! #LEDEBAT2017 pic.twitter.com/SadLIlmUbt
— TomInParis (@Paris_American) May 3, 2017
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In case you missed the mammoth debate on Wednesday night, Emmanuel Macron and Marine Le Pen traded insults for 2.5 hours, after which Macron was deemed to be the "most convincing" by 64 percent of viewers, one survey found.
But the best judges, as always, were on Twitter... where no one was spared (not even the moderators).
Here are the highlights:
On Marine Le Pen:
This GIF went viral overnight. We're not sure exactly what Le Pen is playing at, but the tweeter below described it as "the flying saucer".
Sans le son c'est encore plus flagrant.
— Guillaume Blardone (@gblardone) May 4, 2017
Le regard atterré et gêné de Macron quand MLP fait..la soucoupe volantepic.twitter.com/0aLKwiFf7w
This tweeter suggested it was her "LSD moment".
#2017LeDébat over.
— Yannis Koutsomitis (@YanniKouts) May 3, 2017
Highlight: Le Pen's LSD trip moment.pic.twitter.com/VRMkUqF9OC
The tweeter below mocked Le Pen for not only making up information, as she was repeatedly accused of doing, but also for constantly blaming Macron for everything his Socialist government did when he was a minister.
"Le Pen: "Is the earth flat?". Macron: "No". Le Pen: "Yes it is, you flattened it when you were the Economy Minister.""
Résumé #2017LeDebat
— Antoine (@Ant1Adam) May 3, 2017
Le Pen : La terre est plate ?
Macron : Non.
Le Pen : Si vous l'avez aplatie lorsque vous étiez ministre de l'économie.
Others noted that Le Pen seemed to be avoiding any real policy talk in order to go on the offensive against Macron.
moderator: Mme LePen, explain your policy
— Luis Mejias (@LuisMejias_) May 3, 2017
LePen: attack attack
Again: could you explain your policy
LePen: attack attack
#2017LeDébat
While some tackled Le Pen's speech writing tactics...
"When you've printed out all the speeches from Francois Fillon, but then remember that they're useless in a debate," this tweet reads, referring to Le Pen's verbatim copying of a Fillon speech earlier this week.
Quand t'as imprimé tous les discours de François Fillon avant de venir mais que tu réalises que ça sert à rien dans un débat #2017LeDebat pic.twitter.com/WDANyZ2Ej3
— Antoine (@Ant1Adam) May 3, 2017
This one shows Le Pen's father Jean Marie and says "When you're searching for your daughter's dignity".
Quand tu cherches la dignité de ta fille. #2017LeDebat pic.twitter.com/uIWdF4SKMZ
— Caustique Twitto (@Freezze) May 3, 2017
Many tweeters took particular interest in the fact that Le Pen had so many files in front of her (Macron had none).
This one says: "When you left all your revision to the last minute."
Quand tu révises à la dernière minute #Debat2017 pic.twitter.com/xIyM5qvz3N
— Nabil Touati (@salam93) May 3, 2017
This tweet followed in the same line with a split pic of the pair showing Le Pen with files and Macron without.
"When you haven't revised for your baccalaureate and when you have," said the tweeter.
Quand tu n'as pas révisé avant le bac VS Quand tu as révisé.#2017LeDebat #debatpresidentiel pic.twitter.com/9L28g8kr7r
— keli_af (@kelio09) May 3, 2017
The tweeter below noted that the files were really starting to show (with a photoshopped picture, we should point out).
Ca commence vraiment à se voir cette histoire de fiches #LEDEBAT2017 pic.twitter.com/TLUEM2epJy
— Mathieu Flaig (@MathieuFlex) May 3, 2017
On Emmanuel Macron
While Le Pen was by far the target of most of the Twitter missiles, Macron didn't escape.
Many pointed out how many times he repeated the same words, with the tweeter below saying he sounded like a broken record.
Macron constantly dismissing Le Pen's ideas/words as lies, keeps on saying she is being stupid. Sounds like a broken record now #2017LeDébat
— Anna Laura Welsh (@AnnaLauraWelsh) May 3, 2017
This tweeter wasn't impressed with either candidate.
#2017LeDebat Pathetic presidential debate tonight. Worst in 30 years. Intellectual midget versus midget intellectual. Poor France.
— Cultural chameleon (@DeepestOntario) May 3, 2017
While the debate was indeed fiery, many were captivated by the look Macron was giving Le Pen in the screenshot below.
Quand BAE attend son bisou #2017LeDebat pic.twitter.com/pndxkjbhCt
— En 8 (@Chamsia_b) May 3, 2017
How about this? (Don't forget Macron is married to his high school teacher).
#2017LeDebat She'd better be careful with facts around this youngster. He might mistake her for his teacher. pic.twitter.com/ewxKtcDO7a
— J.D. Gravenor (@jdgravenor) May 3, 2017
And many were left intrigued when Macron said Le Pen's comments were nothing but "Poudre de Perlimpinpin" (or "fairy dust").
Here's a tweet showing Macron sprinkling Le Pen fairy dust along his arm, a reference to the Turkish chef Nusret Gökçe, better known as SaltBae, whose salt sprinkling antics recently swept the internet. Ok, let's move on now.
"Poudre de Perlimpinpin" #2017LeDebat pic.twitter.com/c10HYWLaRs
— Caustique Twitto (@Freezze) May 3, 2017
And no, the two moderators weren't spared.
The tweet below added a picture of the two political editors as part of a missing persons notice. "Alert! We are looking for these two journalists" it reads.
Alerte ! Nous sommes a la recherche des deux journalistes #2017LeDebat pic.twitter.com/CvM1dpNQYS
— Steven (@StevenJoly3) May 3, 2017
The tweeter below wasn't impressed by the moderators either.
The two journalists.#2017LeDebat pic.twitter.com/UQ4i6n55ks
— Ralph (@Aamchit) May 3, 2017
Nor was this tweeter.
If it was boxing (sorry again) it would be a match without a referee. Moderators absent. #LeGrandDebat
— Pierre Briançon (@pierrebri) May 3, 2017
But we'll leave the last word with those who noted that moderator Nathalie Saint-Cricq from France 2 had apparently lost control... or perhaps lost interest.
When you're supposed to moderate the french presidential debate, but you have serious doubts about your career choice #2017LeDebat pic.twitter.com/yHCyiIyOft
— A Yellow Poney (@AYellowPoney) May 3, 2017
60 million faces in one.#2017LeDebat pic.twitter.com/zAFeYUn5iy
— Emilie (@Emilie__Caron) May 4, 2017
#2017ledebat #Saint-Cricq is the only adult on set and the kids won't listen!! #LEDEBAT2017 pic.twitter.com/SadLIlmUbt
— TomInParis (@Paris_American) May 3, 2017
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