Who is Xavier Poussard? Candace Owens says Brigitte Macron is "viciously hunting" journalist who "risked his life" to investigate her alleged identity

The controversy surrounding French First Lady Brigitte Macron’s background has intensified, with American commentator Candace Owens suggesting that journalist Xavier Poussard is being targeted for his investigation into Macron’s alleged past identity.

Owens said that Poussard "risked his life" to reveal the claims and has come under legal pressure, including a summons from Italian police. She added that Brigitte Macron is allegedly "viciously hunting" those questioning her official story.

Xavier Poussard is a French journalist who gained notoriety for his book Becoming Brigitte, which explored persistent conspiracy theories surrounding Brigitte Macron’s "true" identity. The book looks into gaps in her public record and resuscitates allegations, which have been repeatedly debunked but remain viral, that she was born male under the name Jean-Michel Trogneux.

During a July 15 episode of Candace Owens' podcast, she stated that Xavier Poussard and his family left France over safety concerns after releasing his findings.

"Xavier Poussard..I would say, risked his life when you get the behind-the-scenes stories of why him and his family decided to pick up and leave France as he was working on this investigation for years into who or what Brigitte is," she said.

"You know, he essentially once him and his family got there assumed that they would have the safety net of being in Italy, but apparently that's not the case because she's viciously hunting everybody who has shared this story, myself included," she added.

---

Xavier Poussard's book fuels ongoing debate over Brigitte Macron's past

Poussard’s writing had made Macron a target of skeptics, particularly after a Paris appeals court recently overturned the defamation convictions of two women who made similar allegations.

Brigitte Macron has fought the rumors about her identity, filing defamation suits against critics. In 2021, two women, Amandine Roy and Natacha Rey, stated in a YouTube video that Macron was “born a man," and was consequently convicted next year. However, their convictions were overturned in 2025. The court held they had acted in “good faith” in expressing their opinions, adding to speculation.

The speculation about Brigitte Macron’s true identity has swirled for years, fueled by her 24-year age difference with President Emmanuel Macron and occasional viral episodes. One such episode concerns a May 2025 video in which she appeared to push him while traveling on a diplomatic trip.

Critics like Candace Owens contend that the absence of early photographic records and discrepancies in her public records are suspicious. But mainstream media and French officials have dismissed the rumors as baseless, attributing their spread to far-right networks and misinformation.

Xavier Poussard’s book embraces these uncertainties, but refrains from firm conclusions. His supporters cast his work as investigative journalism, his critics as irresponsible speculation. But the recent decision by the Paris appeals court has emboldened skeptics by upholding the right to question Macron’s past without legal consequence.