Singer Bono impressed by Emmanuel Macron’s “sharpness of mind”

Emmanuel Macron received unexpected support on Monday. Symbolic U2 singer Bono told France Inter that he was impressed by the “intellectual and verbal acuity” of the French president, whom he met several times. The decision he makes after he says he had the opportunity to meet with many leaders as part of his humanitarian work.

Answering a question about an excerpt from his autobiography Surrender (Fayar), in which the artist recalls his meetings with recent French presidents and compares Emmanuel Macron to the leader of Silicon Valley, Bono clarified his thoughts into a radio microphone.

“I talk about him backstage. I see how he solves problems (…) he rolls up his sleeves…”, explained the singer, who, however, clarifies that he “has no right to comment on French politics”. For him, Macron exudes “extraordinary energy”, comparable to the energy of the “leaders of Silicon Valley”. If the comparison is meant to be flattering, it may make you smile, since the image of the President of the Republic was associated in France with this – not very warm and human – startup.

“His verbal acuity, his intellectual acuity… Frankly, all the leaders in the world are not that smart. They can talk, they can be warm or charismatic, but you need a certain level of intelligence…” Bono continued, visibly fascinated.

Several face to face

In his autobiography, the Irish singer recounted his meeting with the last presidents of France. If he said he was “stunned” by Jacques Chirac, compared Nicolas Sarkozy to a “top” and admitted that he was on the same wavelength as François Hollande, he confirmed that Emmanuel Macron “has nothing in common with his predecessors or with any other leader “. “He looks more like a Silicon Valley startup executive,” Bono wrote.

The two men met several times, in part because of the singer’s humanitarian work. Emmanuel Macron first received him at the Élysée Palace in 2017, during the meeting they specifically mentioned the “refugee crisis”. “It was a rather unusual conversation that I rarely had,” Bono admitted on the steps of the Elysee Palace. The two men met again in September 2018 to discuss the partnership between Europe and Africa.