French political discourse has entered an era of post-truth where verified facts hold less sway over public opinion than emotional appeals and personal beliefs. The shift threatens the foundations of democratic debate as the country looks toward the 2027 presidential election.
Verbal Encounters in Orléans and Marseille
The phenomenon was on display in October during the National Rally congress in Orléans. When a Mediapart journalist questioned a party activist about the “affaire Bardella”, the militant replied, “He is right because it is the truth.” The response reflected a trend where partisan loyalty outweighs empirical evidence regarding public figures. A close associate of Emmanuel Macron described the development as terrifying, noting that blatant falsehoods no longer disqualify political figures from public life.
A similar impasse occurred in Marseille during an LCI broadcast featuring Bruno Retailleau. During a lunch with a local family, the conversation turned to Mohammed Merah. The mother asserted that Merah was a government agent. A close associate of the president of the Les Républicains party later remarked that the encounter left them depressed by the sheer impossibility of establishing a shared factual baseline.
Diverging Realities in Public Safety and Ideology
The detachment from reality extends across the political spectrum, complicating debates on law enforcement and social cohesion. Polling data from an Ifop survey in September 2024 indicated that 71 percent of French citizens held a positive sentiment—either trust or sympathy—toward the police. Among supporters of the presidential majority, that figure rose to 89 percent, while remaining at 34 percent among sympathizers of La France insoumise. Despite these figures, Jean-Luc Mélenchon continues to repeat the slogan that “tout le monde déteste la police,” asserting that “la police tue.”
Sociologist Gérald Bronner, writing in his book A l’assaut du réel, observed that human nature possesses an ultimate obsession to bend reality to personal aspirations. Bronner noted that the mental state changes to persuade individuals they have chosen the correct version of reality, rather than reality itself shifting.
Unverified Rumors and the Suspension of Disbelief
Digital disinformation campaigns further erode the shared public square. In October, a pseudo-media outlet named L’Infiltré ran a report claiming Emmanuel Macron privately used a derogatory slur against Renaissance deputy Prisca Thévenot, who is of Mauritian descent. Although the Élysée Palace declined to react publicly to avoid lending credibility to the report, several Renaissance lawmakers took to social media platform X to demand explanations.
Bronner attributes this dynamic to the public’s willingness to engage in a suspension of disbelief, a concept he notes Donald Trump was the first to use. The Washington Post has recorded over 30,000 false statements made by Donald Trump during his first term. In the current climate, malicious rumors often outlive immediate private denials.
The Future of Democratic Debate
As political actors navigate fragmented media diets and isolated ideological echo chambers, campaigns struggle to find common ground. A strategist for the Les Républicains party recounted examining their daughter’s Instagram feed and finding a reality completely disconnected from their own. Advisers to Emmanuel Macron acknowledge that without a functioning agora or shared arena for debate, candidates face severe asymmetric risks where public bubbles shatter only through negativity as the 2027 race approaches.
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