The only face-to-face between Emmanuel Macron and Marine Le Pen scheduled for April 20, four days before the second round of the presidential election, is a major event in the campaign of the last two candidates in the running. They still remember their delicate face-to-face in 2017, which some even went so far as to describe as violent.
On April 14, it was announced that the heavy mission of hosting this debate between the two rounds live would be entrusted to Léa Salamé (France 2) and Gilles Bouleau (TF1). Gilles Bouleau has been the presenter of the 20 Hours newscast on TF1 since 2012. Léa Salamé is the co-presenter ofElysee 2022the first part of the evening program that France 2 has devoted to the presidential election in recent months, but also the co-host ofWe are live (with Laurent Ruquier) and officiates in the morning of France Inter.
Léa Salamé was preferred to Anne-Sophie Lapix, decried by the clan of Marine Le Pen. Jordan Bardella let it be known last weekend that he refused to allow the presenter of the 20 Hours of France 2 newscast to co-host the debate between the two rounds. “Anne-Sophie Lapix, whom I respect as a journalist, cannot conceal her hostility towards Marine Le Pen each time she receives her“, said Jordan Bardella on April 11 in the show Hours of the pros on CNews. The 26-year-old politician also added that Emmanuel Macron was not in favor of Anne-Sophie Lapix either.
It bothered me
In a joint interview with Gilles Bouleau conducted by The Parisian at the headquarters of TF1 in Boulogne-Billancourt, Léa Salamé evokes the fact that she was preferred to Anne-Sophie Lapix and the words of Jordan Bardella on his colleague. “This also bothered me. It’s not up to politicians to give journalists a good or a bad point on a TV set, defends Léa Salamé. As for Anne-Sophie, I had a great pleasure working with her on Élysée 2022. She put herself in danger by agreeing to participate in this political program when she was not obliged to. In addition to being an excellent journalist, she is a courageous and upright woman. We spoke at length this week.“
As to whether she perceives the animation of the between-two-turns as a holy grail or a thankless task, the companion of Raphaël Glucksmann answers: “Neither !” “I did not have this dream and was not a candidate. But it cannot be refused. It’s quite exciting. Even if, journalistically, it’s not the most exciting exerciseadmits the journalist in all sincerity. It’s a unique moderator’s job, which is not the same as during other debates or an interview where you can make follow-ups. We will learn not to interrupt. We won’t be able to say: ‘Ah no, Marine Le Pen! You can’t say that.’ It is an exercise in sobriety and humility. I, who am Mediterranean and quite spontaneous, will have to restrain myself as much as possible.“
In addition to France 2 and TF1, the debate will be broadcast by the four news channels continuously, BFMTV, CNews, LCI and franceinfo. It will be directed by Didier Froehly, one of the big names in TV production.