During his visit to Australia, French President Macron surprised Australian Prime Minister Jean-Claude Turnbull by saying "Thank you for your delicious wife". Although some analysts say this may be an accent problem, Australian media do not seem to want to spare Macron.
On May 3, local time, Australia`s best-selling gossip newspaper, the Daily Telegraph, featured pictures of Turnbull and Macron on the front page, but Macron`s face was portrayed as a well-known animation. A French striped skunk named Pepe replaced it. The newspaper also marked the picture with the headline "President Pepe Le Pew)."
< Daily Telegraph > 3-day headlines from foreign media
As an animated image of Warner Bros. since 1945, Pepe is known for his abominable stench and unrequited lovesickness.
The Telegraph made such a mockery of Macron because he was in Australia a few days ago.
At a media meeting with Turnbull, Macron thanked the Turnbull couple in English for their hospitality. But when it comes to Lucy (Lucy Turnbull), the prime minister`s wife, Macron blurts out, "Thank you, Mrs. (delicious wife)."
From left: Mr. and Mrs. Turnbull and Mr. and Mrs. Macron from foreign media
The embarrassing scene was quickly reported by the media, with some saying it was a misstatement and others saying Macron was expressing "French romance."
However, Australian news agency reporter Mike Kinner (Jamie McKinnell) went to the dictionary and found that the English delicious and French d é licieux pronunciation is similar, but the latter has the meaning of "lovely", "favorite" and so on.
Macron`s mistake may have been just to confuse the pronunciations of delicious and d é licieux.
Still, the Daily Telegraph did not intend to let Macron go, mocking him with a skunk. As a president, Macron seemed to take no notice of such a farcasm.
French President Soazig de la Moissonniere published a picture on his Instagram account on the day: Mark Long is laughing with his colleagues to share the headline.
Instagram screenshot
Shortly before leaving Australia on the 3rd, Macron told the media that he thought the front page was funny. "the newspaper made me laugh, and the character had a French accent in that animation," the Washington Post reported.
After the "skunk president" incident, many netizens expressed anger at the insolence of the Daily Telegraph:
Someone praised the magnanimity of Macron:
Even U.S. President Donald Trump, who has nothing to do with this, "lay down":
Another person involved in the incident, Prime Minister Turnbull of Australia, also laughed at Macron`s "delicious" remarks, saying they had not angered him and his wife in any way, and, Unlike skunk Pepe`s persistent, unrequited feelings, Macron impressed them.
Turnbull said his wife Lucy was honored and flattered. "she made me say that she found the president`s praise both charming and memorable." "it was a great visit," he added. "Macron fascinated Australia and there was no doubt that he was fascinated by all of us, including our family."
