Emmanuel Macron shows off bull-boxing skills 'Robert de Niro style'

French President Emmanuel Macron, in a rare occurrence, shared his intimate images of boxing, which were described by the French media as the ultimate show of “virility”.

The official presidential photographer Soazig de la Moissonniere shared two black and white photographs of Macron hitting a punching bag in a gym on the social media platform Instagram.

In the images, Macron's bulging biceps could be seen as he strongly punched the bag.

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How French media reacted to the 'macho' images of Macron

Regional French daily newspaper Nice-Matin said that the images of Macron carry a message of “ultimate virility”.

Meanwhile, CNews said that the French president appeared “ready for battle, his gaze fixed on the punching bag as if determined to beat his opponents”.

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“With his features drawn, his muscles bulging and his teeth clenched, the president looks like a real warrior. A situation that echoes the tense news of recent days,” it added.

Some admire Macron's boxer avatar, while others wonder if it is work of AI

The images of Macron were admired by many, however, some even raised concerns that it was AI-generated.

“He’s in Olympic form” four months ahead of the Paris Games, L’Essentiel wrote. Some of the users even said, “Who has more flow and virility between Emmanuel Macron and Vladimir Putin? And who would win an MMA fight?”

Many said that Macron must have used Photoshop to enlarge his biceps. “AI can do wonderful things,” said another commentator.

“I’m afraid of nothing, not even ridicule. Please tell me this is a montage or a sketch. What a poser lol. Everything is spin with him," wrote a user on X.

Green MP Sandrine Rousseau criticising Macron's images said that it is evidence of “macho codes used ad nauseam”.

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“What political misery. What a defeat for progressivism. And what poor political communication," he said.

However, French spin doctor Gaspard Gantzer appreciated the photos and called them “interesting” both in terms of public relations and aesthetics.

Macron wanted to show he was “in good physical shape… and remains someone who is full of energy and motivated”, but also that he “is ready to fight”, he said.

In December, French first lady Brigitte Macron said that her husband spends 45 minutes twice a weekboxing.

(With inputs from agencies)