Emmanuel Macron trades the Élysée Palace for jet skis during summer escape

Emmanuel Macron is making the most of his final summer as France’s president. This weekend, the French leader and his wife, Brigitte Macron, soaked up the sun at Fort de Brégançon in the south of France, where the couple traded the halls of the Élysée Palace for days on the water.

Macron, 48, was photographed in full summer mode, taking on everything from jet skiing to e-foiling as he enjoyed the Mediterranean waters off the French Riviera.

© Eliot Press/The Grosby Group

In one series of photos, the president can be seen balancing on an e-foil board as he rides above the water, and eventually taking a tumble.

© Eliot Press/The Grosby Group

Other shots show him speeding across the waves on a red Yamaha WaveRunner.

© Eliot Press/The Grosby Group

He also took to the water with what was either friends, members of his security detail, or both, traveling by boat along the coast.

© Eliot Press/The Grosby Group

Brigitte, meanwhile, kept things a little more low-key.

© Eliot Press/The Grosby Group

The 73-year-old former teacher was photographed lounging by the water in a black outfit, sunglasses and a baseball cap as she watched the summer shenanigans.

The couple’s summer escape comes as Macron enters the final stretch of his presidency. He is constitutionally barred from seeking a third consecutive term, making this his last summer at the presidential retreat before his second and final term ends in 2027.

© Eliot Press/The Grosby Group

Fort de Brégançon, located in Bormes-les-Mimosas on the French Riviera, has served as the official summer retreat of French presidents for decades.

Macron and Brigitte have made the property a regular part of their summer routine since he took office in 2017.

This year, however, the vacation has attracted more attention than usual. The photos have sparked a political backlash in France. Socialist Party leader Olivier Faure criticized the optics of Macron enjoying a jet-ski ride at Brégançon while the country was dealing with an intense heat wave and devastating wildfires.

© MIGUEL MEDINA

Pierre Ouzoulias also told Europe 1, “Personally, I would have preferred to see him in a fire truck, helping firefighters put out the blaze.”

Macron’s team has pushed back on the idea that the president has simply switched off while on vacation. 

Reports from Paris Match and El País said Macron continued working from Brégançon, keeping up with international affairs and speaking with foreign leaders during his stay.