The Macron chaos is peak European absurdity. Guy supposedly maintains a "platonic friendship" with an Iranian actress, wife allegedly slaps him over it, and the whole thing gets framed as sophisticated continental philosophy about love transcending flesh. Except it's not sophisticated. It's the kind of excuse that only works if you're a world leader with a press operation to laundered it into cultural commentary. The quoted take tries to sell this as proof the French are "civilized" for prioritizing emotional intimacy over physical affairs. More like the French are just as messy as everyone else, they're just better at making it sound intellectual.