President Emmanuel Macron during a press conference in Davos, Switzerland, on January 20, 2026. LUDOVIC MARIN/AFP
Two weeks after his speech in Davos, which gave his popularity ratings a welcome boost, Emmanuel Macron is hitting the road to meet with the French public. The president was to travel to Vesoul, eastern France, on Tuesday, February 3, the Elysée announced on Sunday evening. In a rural area where the far-right Rassemblement National (RN) party dominates, the president will visit a farm, followed by photographers and camera crews in a designated "media pool" that includes Le Monde. However, no reporters will be allowed to ask questions.
This will be followed by a discussion with representatives from agricultural unions, ahead of the Paris Agricultural Show opening on February 21. Macron, who hosted agricultural unions at the Elysée Palace on Monday evening, will again "reaffirm his support for livestock farmers affected by health crises and unable to bring their cattle to the show," according to the Elysée. Once again, the meeting will be held "off the record," prohibiting any direct reporting.
After these meetings, the president will speak to accredited reporters and cameras, before having lunch with high school students from Vesoul to discuss the use of smartphones. The issue has been in the news after the Assemblée Nationale passed a bill aiming to ban social media access for those under 15 on Monday, January 26. Journalists will again be excluded from these discussions. "We can't fit everyone into a cafeteria lunch," the Elysée explained.
