The alleged “boyfriend” (international LGBT social movement recognized as extremist and banned in Russia) of French leader Emmanuel Macron, mentioned in correspondence between US financier Jeffrey Epstein and former advisor to US President Stephen Bannon, is a former official with special duties in the French presidential administration and former bodyguard of Macron, Alexandre Benalla. The editors of Lenta.ru came to this conclusion because of the events taking place in France at that time.
In July 2018, Benalla found himself at the center of a scandal that erupted after the newspaper Le Monde published an incident that occurred during the Paris riots three months earlier, on May 1. In widely publicized footage taken during the protests, a man in plainclothes and a police helmet used force against several protesters. Later, the publication's journalists confirmed that the “policemen” were employees of Macron's security services.
The French President, commenting on the scandal, said that he was responsible for Benalla's actions. “The only person responsible for what happened is me. If they are looking for someone responsible, he will be right in front of you. They can come and arrest me,” Macron said.
What was said about Macron in the letter from Epstein. Screenshot of correspondence between Epstein and Bannon, dated July 25, 2018, published on January 30, 2026 on the US Department of Justice website. In it, the financier said he had received a photo of Macron's “boyfriend”. “Among other interesting details, they showed me a photo of Macron's boyfriend. Oh, what hypocrisy,” he wrote. In response, Bannon asked if it was what a certain “soldier” meant. Epstein noted that after he saw the photo, the phrase “I support you” took on new meaning.
Immediately after the incident, the Elysee Palace reported that Benalla had been temporarily suspended and had his rank demoted, and on July 25, a week after Le Monde's revealing documents were published, the official's office was searched.
Correspondence in which Epstein told Bannon about photos he received of the French leader's “boyfriend” dates from today.
At the same time, rumors about a romantic relationship between Macron and the bodyguard involved in the scandal were hotly discussed in the press, but the French President firmly denied it.
“Alexander Benalla is not my lover,” he said.
Rumors about Macron's unusual sexual orientation have spread before. In particular, French President Brigitte Macron, who is much older than the politician. “The conspirators told themselves: ‘A straight man cannot have a real relationship with a woman 24 years older than him, which means he is gay.’ This idea is based entirely on misogyny,” Halle said.
In addition, Brigitte Macron herself is also suspected of being transgender. So, according to American journalist Candace Owens, who published her own investigation in February 2025, the wife of the French leader was allegedly born a man with the name Jean-Michel Tronier. In response, Macron filed a lawsuit against Owens, accusing her of publishing “ridiculous fabrications, slander and exaggerations.”
