Emmanuel Macron's Liberalism Faces Growing Opposition in France

Emmanuel Macron entered the French presidency in 2017 as a symbol of a new, global liberalism, promising to counter populist forces after the shocks of Brexit and the election of Donald Trump. Over two terms, analysts describe his approach as shifting toward an "antipopulist" liberalism, relying heavily on emergency powers and a tightening of speech and media rules in the name of combating disinformation.

The strategy has drawn criticism for increasingly resembling the tactics of the populist movements it seeks to defeat. Macron’s government has faced mounting pressure from the far‑right National Front (now National Rally) led by Marine Le Pen and from the far‑left led by Jean‑Luc Mélenchon, while his electoral base has become increasingly dependent on older voters. Polish sociologist Jakub Dymek notes that the more antipopulist liberals fight populism, the more they begin to mirror it, a dynamic he sees reflected in Macron’s tenure.