French first couple to present 'scientific' evidence in lawsuit against US influencer

Emmanuel and Brigitte Macron will offer "scientific" evidence and photos proving that France's first lady is a woman, the lawyer representing them in a US lawsuit said Friday. 

Attorney Tom Clare said the Macrons planned to testify in their case against conservative American commentator Candace Owens, whom the plaintiffs accuse of helping fan online rumors about whether the French president's wife is a transgender woman.

"There will be expert testimony that will come out, that will be scientific in nature, that will also demonstrate the falsity of the statements," Clare said in an interview on the BBC.  

Clare's comments on "Fame Under Fire," a BBC podcast, were confirmed to AFP by spokespersons for his law firm.

Speculation around Brigitte Macron's gender has swirled in France for years. The lawsuit against Owens is unfolding as President Macron contends with a low popularity rating in opinion polls and government instability.  

Clare said he couldn't reveal details about his team's strategy regarding the expert testimony but it was prepared to demonstrate fully that Owens, an influencer with a huge following on social media platforms, had spread falsehoods about the French first lady.

The lawyer for the Macrons said that the burden of proof in this defamation case is on the plaintiffs.

The plaintiffs, who filed their lawsuit against Owens in a court in the state of Delaware in July, also intend to present photographs showing Brigitte Macron with her children or photos of her when she was pregnant, Clare said. 

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"These falsehoods are like a cancer," he said. "They metastasize into the mainstream media."

And because Owens has a sizable audience, he added, "people listen to her."  

On Thursday, Owens posted a message on her X channel dismissing the Macrons' allegations against her as "verifiably false."    

"She [Brigitte Macron] isn’t suing me for saying she’s a man. She has never sued anyone ever for saying she’s a dude. Because she is one," Owens wrote.

Brigitte Macron, 72, has also taken to the courts in France to combat claims she was born a man.

Two women were convicted in September 2024 of spreading false claims after they posted a YouTube video in December 2021 alleging that Brigitte Macron had once been a man named Jean-Michel Trogneux -- who is actually her brother.

The ruling against Natacha Rey and Amandine Roy was overturned by a Paris appeals court and Macron appealed to the highest appeals court, the Court de Cassation, earlier in July.

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