French President and former Rothschild banker Emmanuel Macron spent over $31,000 on makeup during the first three months of his Presidency.
According to public records, Macron’s personal makeup artist, Natacha M, billed the French taxpayer twice – once for €10,000 and another for €16,000.
Telegraph.co.uk reports: The Elysee Palace defended the high fee saying: “We called in a contracter as a matter of urgency”. The same makeup artist also applied foundation to Mr Macron during his presidential campaign. Aides said that spending on makeup would be “significantly reduced”.
BYPASS THE CENSORS
Sign up to get unfiltered news delivered straight to your inbox.
You can unsubscribe any time. By subscribing you agree to our Terms of Use
It may seem like a stratospheric sum for a president who has described his style as “Jupiterian” – lofty in the spirit of the God of Roman gods.
The gross figure is higher than the €6,000 euro salary Mr Hollande paid his staff makeup artist, but it is less when social charges are added. Le Point put the overall figure for Mr Hollande’s makeup at €30,000 per quarter.
Nicolas Sarkozy, meanwhile, paid a whopping €8,000 per month for his, according to Vanity Fair.
But all these sums pale into comparison with the £99,000 Mr Hollande paid his personal barber. The huge amount sparked accusations of “shampoo Socialism”.
9500 euros par mois pour ca, quel talent ce #coiffeur ! #CoiffeurGate pic.twitter.com/rGZEIjrRVQ
— Jerry Khan, de Sens (@Tiger_Patriote) July 12, 2016
The disclosure caused particular shock because Mr Hollande came to power on a Left-wing platform, promising to be a “normal president” who would mark a break with the “extravagance” of his conservative predecessor, Nicolas Sarkozy, and his model wife, Carla Bruni.
The hairdresser, Olivier Benhamou, was hired to work at the Elysée Palace in 2012 for the duration of Mr Hollande’s five-year term. Mr Benhamou also reportedly enjoyed a housing allowance and family benefits.
