Laurent Ruquier’s “donkey" views on Donald Trump’s behaviour

And that’s a polite euphemism for what has to be one of the most crass public comments this undeniably intelligent man has made during his television and radio career.

You might not be a fan of Laurent Ruquier, but there’s no denying his work ethic and prodigious output.

Just take a look at his (English) Wikipedia profile, “Television and radio host, producer, and satirical comedian. He is also a lyricist, writer, playwright and producer of shows, and owns his own theatre.”

The 53-year-old is probably best known for his weekly show on France 2 - “On n'est pas couché”.

It’s a talk show - a mix of cultural, social, sport and political elements — in which invited guests are given a grilling (or positive critique, depending on the mood of his two “Rottweiler” co-presenters  - currently Yann Moix and Vanessa Burggraf)

Over the years there have been some pretty heated exchanges, particularly when the two Érics - Zemmour and  Naulleau - worked alongside Ruquier. And some celebrities have refused to appear on the programme to promote whatever book, record or film they had just released or participate in a political discussion.

And then there’s the daily programme on RTL radio “Les Grosses Têtes” in which, since 2014 when he moved to the station from Europe 1,  Ruquier is joined by several members of his (faithful) band of “commentators” to take a light-hearted look at some news items and, in a semi-quiz format, determine which famous figures (past and present) might have uttered particular phrases and compete against listeners in an audience challenge.

Laurent Ruquier (screenshot from RTL radio’s "Les Grosses Têtes")

It’s not meant to be too earnest, although sometimes serious issues can be addressed, albeit in a supposedly good-humoured and good-natured way.

But listening to last Sunday’s special (a round-up of the previous week’s highlights) you will have heard Ruquier come out with the most bizarre of statements.

It was almost (but not quite)  a defence of US presidential candidate Donald Trump’s behaviour after the release of a tape in which he had bragged about grabbing women “by the pussy”, the media reaction there had been to the tape and Trump’s subsequent “locker room talk” apology.

“Heaven knows, I’m not for Trump,” Ruquier said (at around 18 minutes into the programme)…making it easy for listeners to guess that there was about to be some sort of justification for the US presidential candidate’s conduct.

“But frankly I’ll defend him - just a little. I think what was done to him last week was disgusting”, he continued, seemingly swallowing Trump’s line that he had in fact been the “victim”.

“If you take any guy who is talking to another guy and record them while they’re talking about women, there would have been exactly the same result.” (Does that argument sound familiar?)

“And the same is true for two women talking about men.” (Add your own exclamation marks).

Now - purely opinion - and not a particularly well-informed one at that. But where exactly does Ruquier get his valuable information from?

First up - to state the obvious - he’s a man.

So as such, even though he is a gay man, he cannot possibly have had  “all-girl chats” - or even know how they talk about men and/or sex when there’s no man around.

Somehow though, he seems not to have grasped that fact - because…?

Well, you answer it.

Then there’s the locker-room talk aspect: as though such language and behaviour is somehow acceptable, excusable, understandable and…whatever this might mean… “normal”.

The two women invited to participate in that particular edition of the show, former Brazilian model turned TV presenter Cristina Cordula and US-born French, singer, actress, director and model (gasp - a “multi-talent”) Arielle Dombasle weren’t entirely (to put it mildly) in agreement with his “analysis”.

But, for the sake of humour and entertainment, their views were dismissed by the show’s host and the other male panellists as they, in time-honoured tradition, maintained that women’s conversations were “just as bad, if not worse.”

M Ruquier - from one man to another, might I suggest that you keep away from a subject about which you can have little or no real knowledge and, while you’re at it, take a listen to the speech US first lady Michelle Obama made in New England last Thursday.

Just in case you missed it, here it is…. in its entirety.



It should, hopefully, make you realise that not only are you very wrong. It might also help you understand that a microphone and a celebrity status do not give you the right to express views that are so ill thought-out and have no substance.

Karl Lagerfeld, newspaper editor, on the Queen, Barack Obama, Greece and Adele - and lots more

You know how some celebs seem almost to be caricatures of themselves?

They're talented, successful and very influential in whichever field they're working.

But somehow, somewhere, they begin saying whatever comes into their minds, and their soundbites are the stuff of great swathes of the media.

One such person surely has to be German fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld.

Karl Lagerfeld (screenshot from Reuters report)

The 78-year-old scores on all three criteria, talent, success and influence.

There's no questioning his gift for creating posh frocks and the like, he heads a major fashion house, Chanel, and he can make a model's catwalk career take off, just as he did with Baptiste Giabiconi.

Sadly he's also given to pontificating on just about anything that strikes his fancy.

So when the free daily newspaper Metro made him guest editor for Tuesday's edition, Lagerfeld was given a platform not only to determine the design and contents for one day, but also to come up with some real corkers as he was asked questions on a range of issues during an interview.

Barack Obama deserves to be re-elected as far as Lagerfeld is concerned, but mainly because of his wife, Michelle, who has a "magical face" and without whom "he (Obama) would not be there."

Ah yes finger on the political pulse time from a man who admits he has never voted in his life.

There's more...of course.

The Greek economic crisis is - surprise, surprise - "a big problem as (Greeks) have a reputation of being corrupt," says Lagerfeld.

Ah that thought has never been expressed before. But wait for it, he has more.

"Greece needs to work on a cleaner image."

And more.

"Nobody wants Greece to disappear (???- not sure what he meant by that. Maybe Lagerfeld knows something the rest of us don't) but they have really disgusting habits – Italy as well.

Yep - you tell 'em Karl.

On the French presidential election; "It's not inspiring at the moment" (see video).

Well some would probably agree with him.



As far as popular music is concerned, British singer Adele has "a beautiful face and divine voice" but for Lagerfeld she's also "a little too fat."

As if the latter had anything to do with the former.

Finally - just for now (you can read the whole interview and/or watch the video if you feel so inclined) there's Queen Elizabeth II who has just marked the 60th anniversary of her accession to the throne.

Lagerfeld seems to think she's improving with age and, as far as her dress sense is concerned (and that's after all an area in which you would expect him to be able to make an informed comment) she's coming "into herself a little bit more - whatever that means."

Quite. What exactly does that mean?

Carla Bruni-Sarkozy becomes comic book heroine

France's first lady, Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, is the heroine of a new comic book.

Screenshot of Bluewater publisher's Female Force - Carla Bruni-Sarkozy

Published by Bluewater productions, the 40-page book is described as "an unauthorized political biography with a difference" and is part of the publisher's "Female Force" series aimed at "female empowerment".

It was perhaps only a matter of time before Bruni-Sarkozy, the missus of "Hollywood's senior representative in France" as the online news website p2pnet rather tongue-in-cheek describes her husband, Nicolas Sarkozy, trod another path in her rich and varied life.

The former model - sorry Supermodel - turned singer, some time actress and now first lady has long been considered one of the world’s most beautiful women – the kind who would make wearing a tea cosy not only fashionable but probably also sexy.

The daughter of a wealthy Italian industrialist and composer, Alberto Bruni Tedeschi, and the Italian concert pianist, Marisa Borini, Bruni-Sarkozy was born in Turin, moved to France with her family when she was just five and was “discovered” by the world of catwalks at 19.

Over the years she has acquired the reputation as something of a “man eater”, not an image she has been eager to play down, even apparently going as far as to say once that, “I am monogamous from time to time, but I prefer polygamy and polyandry.”

In her 20s she had a much publicised on-off affair with Rolling Stone, Mick Jagger – and in her time has also dated a long and eclectic list of A-listers including US billionaire Donald Trump, British rock star Eric Clapton, Hollywood actor Kevin Costner and even former French Socialist prime minister, Laurent Fabius.

And how’s this for a one-woman double act so to speak. Seven years ago, while living with the French journalist and critic, Jean-Paul Enthoven, she met and fell in love with his philosopher son, Raphael, with whom she had a child, Aurélien, in 2001.

Phew.

No wonder the blurb for the new book describes her as being "driven by determination and by the music in her blood to become successful in many walks of life."

But a comic book? And one with only 40 pages?

"When girls read this they're going to see they can do anything, and be what they want to be," Bluewater's Darren Davis told Agence France Presse.

"It is unbiased, so we do talk about things in there... but the struggles that she had make her a stronger person."

Bruni-Sarkozy now joins the ranks of other women such as her counterpart from across the Pond Michelle Obama, US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, former US vice presidential candidate Sarah Pain, Harry Potter author J K Rowling, Australian singer Olivia Newton John, and a host of others whose lives have been told in the pages of the Female Force comic book format.

Written by David McIntee and Heath Foley "Female Force, Carla Bruni-Sarkozy" is published by Bluewater productions and undoubtedly presents a role model any parent would wish for their daughter.

Sadly it has yet to find a publisher in France.

G20 over but where was Carla?

The talking is over, the dining done and most importantly an historic deal has been agreed.

But away from the serious business of politics and economic, the burning question on many lips here in France - and apparently in the British media too - was where was Carla during the G20 in London?

You might remember that almost a year ago France's first lady, Carla Bruni-Sarkozy wowed the media the other side of the channel when she accompanied her hubbie on a state visit.

But there was no sign of her in London during the G20 and instead the French president, Nicolas Sarkozy, was left to cope on his own during the dinner thrown by the hosts, Britain's prime minister, Gordon Brown and his wife Sarah.

Sarkozy refused to answer journalists' questions as to his wife's whereabouts, according to the French glossy magazine, Gala, and instead was reportedly in "something of a sulk as he tucked into his meal isolated, without his beauty at his side to help him out with his less-than-perfect English."

So where was Carla?

Back home in the French capital according to a British tabloid, the Daily Mail, having a ciggie (tut tut) and putting her feet up.

In what the paper quite clearly saw as somewhat haughty behaviour from France's first lady, Bruni-Sarkozy's absence was described as being something of an insult to Sarah Brown, and more importantly perhaps explained in terms of her not wanting to be outshone by her US counterpart, Michelle Obama.

All right so that's perhaps one slightly less than generous clarification of Bruni-Sarkozy's absence.

Others included the more diplomatic interpretation of not wanting to appear to compete for the limelight with Michelle Obama.

In an interview with American television last November, Bruni-Sarkozy was full of praise for the new US first lady calling her "a strong, formidable and intelligent women, whom she was keen to meet."

Another explanation was that she found the idea of hanging on Sarkozy's arm more than a little boring and of course most unkind of all maybe that she didn't want to appear as yet another giant beside her much shorter husband during photo calls with the US presidential couple.

Of course Bruni-Sarkozy wasn't the only "no show" as the British daily, the Guardian points out.

Her husband may have had to "muddle through without her for a couple of days, but he was in good company as spouses of a couple of other G20 heads of state or government chose not to attend.

As is often the case on official business, Germany's chancellor Angela Merkel, was without her husband, Joachim Sauer, who rarely puts in an appearance at such events.

And Argentina's president, Cristina Fernandez, was also without her other half, Nestor Kirchner.

But as he was her predecessor in office, maybe that was just a bit of protocol coming into play.

Back to Bruni-Sarkozy though, and whatever might or might not have been the reasons behind her decision to stay at home, she will meet the US presidential pair this weekend - on home turf so-to-speak - as France hosts the Nato summit in Strasbourg.