So is Brig a Puma or a cougar? Strange couple....
"After years of hiding their relationship, Brigitte and Emmanuel Macron enter the political stage together"
PARIS — When French voters are asked to describe the centrist presidential candidate Emmanuel Macron, age appears to be a defining characteristic in several ways. The 39-year-old Macron could become the youngest contemporary French president. He would also be accompanied into the Élysée Palace by his wife, Brigitte, who is 24 years older than he is.
Both would be highly unusual, if not unprecedented.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2017/04/24/after-years-of-hiding-their-relationship-brigitte-and-emmanuel-macron-enter-the-political-stage-together/Since Macron founded his own political movement about one year ago, his wife has rapidly adapted to the sudden prospect of becoming the next first lady of France after spending much of her life as a high school teacher.
She had few other choices, given the rather intense interest in the private lives of presidential candidates in France. French voters, it appears, like some drama.
The unusual relationship between Brigitte and Emmanuel Macron has plenty of that to offer. Born as Brigitte Marie-Claude Trogneux, the now 64-year-old is the daughter of a family of chocolatiers who are known for their macaroons, a French type of candy that sounds remarkably similar to the name of the current presidential candidate.
The two first met when Macron was 15 years old at the high school in Amiens where then-Brigitte Trogneux taught a French and a theater class.
“Whatever you do, I'll marry you!” Macron told her there. Despite reports that the 15-year-old even kissed his then-teacher, few voters seem to care. Macron has drawn wide support from all sides of the political spectrum, and even supporters of other candidates now say that the details of their relationship should not impact voters' decision-making process. They point out that many other male world leaders (one of them living in D.C.) have married much younger women, without causing a national debate.
But it is also true that when it comes to their political leaders, the French are more tolerant than others.
