Candace Owens says Trump told her to stop calling Brigitte Macron a man in 'very confused' call
WASHINGTON, D.C.: Podcaster Candace Owens claims President Donald Trump personally phoned her in February asking her to stop investigating a conspiracy theory about French first lady Brigitte Macron.
Owens alleges Trump made the unusual request after French President Emmanuel Macron pulled him aside during diplomatic meetings to complain about her reporting, which questions whether his wife was born male.
Candace Owens claims Macron asked Trump to silence her
Owens told journalist Tucker Carlson in a podcast released Friday, August 1, that Trump sounded “very confused” during the call and relayed Macron’s plea that she halt coverage: “He said he was very confused when the leader of France took him aside during negotiations for Ukraine and Russia to inquire about whether or not he knew Candace Owens.”
She claimed the request first came from a senior White House official, which she rebuffed, before Trump called her himself.
According to Owens, Macron had asked Trump whether he could convince Owens to “shut up.” Owens says she was stunned, “Emmanuel Macron personally flew to DC and asked Trump to ask me to shut up, to just stop speaking about his wife.”
Owens noted Trump praised her influence but said her reporting upset Brigitte: “You must be a very powerful person Candace,” Trump reportedly told her, explaining Macron claimed his wife was “old and this is really, really impacting her.” Owens says she replied, “Respectfully Mr. President, it’s not my fault that he married somebody with a p**is.”
Macrons files lawsuit as Candace Owens doubles down on theory
Emmanuel and Brigitte Macron filed a defamation lawsuit against Owens in the United States in July, led by attorney Tom Clare, accusing her of spreading “outlandish, defamatory and far-fetched fictions” to gain fame and revenue. Owens, who says the theory originated in France, insists she is being silenced: “Candace Owens is not shutting up,” a spokesperson said.
“This is a foreign government attacking the First Amendment rights of an American independent journalist.”
Owens began investigating the claim while working at the Daily Wire and later released a six-hour podcast series examining evidence she believes casts doubt on Brigitte Macron’s gender. Joe Rogan amplified the theory on his show earlier this year, saying the series was “compelling” and joking, “Macron is married to a man.”
Trump cites Ukraine peace talks, wanted ‘bigger commitment’ from Owens
According to Owens, Trump said backing off would help him in his diplomatic efforts with Macron on Ukraine: “He said it would be very helpful for him to bring peace if I agreed to stop talking about his wife’s gender.” She says she temporarily dialed back content, but refused to give the level of commitment Trump wanted.
The White House declined to confirm the call, with communications director Steven Cheung saying they do not discuss “private conversations with the president that may or may not have happened.”
The conspiracy gained fresh traction when a viral video appeared to show Brigitte shoving her husband on a plane, prompting Rogan and others to revisit Owens’ claims. Still, French officials vehemently deny the rumor, calling Owens’ campaign a deliberate smear.
As the legal battle plays out, Owens maintains she will continue her reporting, despite pleas from Trump and intense pushback from the Macrons, saying she refuses to be “bullied” by foreign leaders into silence.
