French President Emmanuel Macron, who has been battling Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau for the title of sex god of the free world, got a big leg up this week when he posed for pictures inside one of France’s nuclear submarines, earning comparisons to James Bond.
Macron was there to spotlight France’s role in nuclear deterrence. Wearing a naval uniform, he was lowered by helicopter into the vessel, named “Le Terrible.” There, he toured the shim and participated in a simulated missile launch. The aim was to remind the world that France is a nuclear power, as tempers flare in Asia and Syria.
It’s unclear whether the message was absorbed. After the photos were posted to Macron’s Twitter account, the response was ecstatic in a way Macron perhaps didn’t intend.
Visite aux sous-mariniers du SNLE “Le Terrible”. pic.twitter.com/Eu9dYmrXCO
— Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) July 4, 2017
Several users ran with the James Bond analogy.
Now that’s a #President!
“My name is #Macron. James, I mean @EmmanuelMacron https://t.co/iyeFEZz4r0— Lisa Wilson (@wilse_lisa) July 5, 2017
How freakin’ hardcore is this Macron dude? Getting dropped from a chopper onto a sub? This is firmly in James Bond territory. https://t.co/WlGawuJPNR
— Stanley Pignal (@spignal) July 4, 2017
“My name is Macron. Emmanuel Macron.” https://t.co/AGDMFaIHdF
— Hélène Lisle (@lislehelene) July 4, 2017
Others were simply speechless.
— laure assany (@LaureAssany) July 6, 2017
— Pink Iguana (@PinkIguana11) July 6, 2017
Le Terrible is the first submarine to be created with computer-assisted design and cost about $1.72 billion.
After North Korea tested what appeared to be its first intercontinental ballistic missile, nuclear capability is front of mind for world leaders. France will be the only country in the European Union to have nuclear weapons after Britain exits the bloc in 2019.
