Macrons file lawsuit in US over claims French First Lady was born male

Photo: Emmanuel Macron and Brigitte Macron/Getty Images

French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife, Brigitte Macron, have sued right-wing American influencer Candace Owens for defamation in the US, after the latter stated that Brigitte is actually a man.

The lawsuit filed in Delaware spans 218 pages and describes Owens' accusations as "baseless, defamatory and insane," with the most sensational being the claim that Brigitte was born a male named Jean-Michel Trogneux.

But that's not all. According to the dossier, Owens also spread conspiracy theories such as "Emmanuel Macron is the product of a CIA mind control experiment," and that the Macrons are blood relatives.

The couple's lawyer, Thomas Clare, told the Financial Times:

"The principle here is truth. The Macrons believe it is important to defend themselves. Owens has had several opportunities to retract what he said, but instead he has just made it a meme."

Candace Owens

The presidential couple is ready to travel to Delaware themselves to appear in court and seek damages.

In a joint statement, they said:

“After Ms. Owens continued to repeat these lies despite repeated requests from our attorneys to retract them, we ultimately concluded that court was the only remaining avenue.”

Owens, on the other hand, has not backed down. Through her spokesperson, she has warned that she will respond on her podcast:

"Candace Owens will not shut up. This is an attack by a foreign government on the free speech rights of an independent American journalist. She has repeatedly requested an interview with Brigitte Macron, but the latter is trying to silence a journalist with a trial."

_{Source: Financial Times}