Brigitte Macron to Present Scientific Proof in U.S. Defamation Battle with Candace Owens

 

Macrons to offer 'scientific evidence' to US court to prove Brigitte is a woman, lawyer says.

France’s First Lady, Brigitte Macron, will submit photographic and scientific evidence to a U.S. court to counter conspiracy theories claiming she was born male. The move comes as part of a defamation lawsuit she and President Emmanuel Macron filed in Delaware against U.S. right-wing commentator Candace Owens, who has repeatedly alleged that Brigitte is a man named Jean-Michel Trogneux.

The Macrons’ lawyer, Tom Clare, told the BBC that the evidence will include expert testimony and may feature images of Brigitte during pregnancy, aiming to prove “both generically and specifically” that the claims are false. Clare described the process as “incredibly upsetting” but said Brigitte is “100% ready” to meet the burden of proof to set the record straight.

Owens has sought to dismiss the case, framing it as a free speech issue, but the Macrons argue she knowingly spread falsehoods, amplifying a debunked theory that first emerged in France in 2021. The couple previously won a similar defamation case in France, later overturned on freedom of expression grounds, and are now pursuing the matter in U.S. courts.