Brigitte Macron's daughter testifies about alleged cyberbullying of France's first lady

PARIS (AP) — The daughter of France’s first lady Brigitte Macron testified Tuesday about the “deterioration” of her mother’s life after alleged cyberbullying spread claims that President Emmanuel Macron ’s wife is a man.

“She cannot ignore the horrible things said about her," Tiphaine Auzière told the second and final day of the Paris trial.

Ten people are accused of posting alleged malicious comments online about the first lady’s gender and sexuality, and of associating the 24-year age gap with her husband with “pedophilia.” Some posts have been viewed tens of thousands of times.

Some defendants told the court the comments they posted were humor or satire and they did not understand why they were on trial. They include an elected official, a teacher and a computer scientist. They face up to two years in prison if convicted.

“I’d like to express what her life looks like since she was the target of massive cyberbullying. This has led to a deterioration in her living conditions,” Auzière, one of Brigitte Macron’s three children, told the court.

Auzière noted that many images of Macron are being misused online: “As a result, she is forced to be careful about her outfits, her posture and her everyday life.”

Brigitte Macron did not attend the trial. A verdict is likely to come at a later date.

Auzière said the family suffers consequences.

“This has repercussions on her children and grandchildren. They hear things at school such as, ‘Your grandmother is a man.' I don’t know how to make it stop,” she said.

The Macrons for years have been dogged by conspiracy theories that Brigitte was born a man named Jean-Michel Trogneux, who supposedly took the name Brigitte as a transgender woman. Jean-Michel Trogneux is the name of Brigitte’s brother.

Asked whether she sees her uncle, Auzière said, “I saw him a few months ago and he was doing very well.”

The Macrons also filed a defamation suit in July in a Delaware court as their lawyer said they seek “substantial” damages from U.S. conservative influencer Candace Owens if she persists with claims that Brigitte is a man.

The Macrons, married since 2007, first met at the high school where he was a student and she was a teacher. Brigitte Macron was then called Brigitte Auzière, a married mother of three.

Emmanuel Macron, 47, has been France’s president since 2017.

Activist Juan Branco , left, and defendant Aurelien Poirson-Atlan, known as Zoe Sagan on social media, leave for break as ten people go on trial accused of cyberbullying Brigitte Macron after they allegedly made "malicious" comments online spreading claims that President Emmanuel Macron's wife is a man, Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2025 in Paris. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)

Tiphaine Auziere, daughter of Brigitte Macron, arrives as a courtroom as ten people go on trial accused of cyberbullying Brigitte Macron after they allegedly made "malicious" comments online spreading claims that President Emmanuel Macron's wife is a man, Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2025 in Paris. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)

FILE - French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte Macron pose before a dinner ahead of the UN Ocean Conference Sunday, June 8, 2025 in Nice, French Riviera. (AP Photo/Laurent Cipriani, file)

Tiphaine Auziere, daughter of Brigitte Macron, arrives as a courtroom as ten people go on trial accused of cyberbullying Brigitte Macron after they allegedly made "malicious" comments online spreading claims that President Emmanuel Macron's wife is a man, Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2025 in Paris. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)

Just when it seemed Leipzig might be the team to inflict Bayern Munich's first Bundesliga loss this season, Bayern found an extra gear.

Bayern scored five goals in 38 second-half minutes to rout Leipzig 5-1 after going into halftime behind for the first time in the league this season.

Harry Kane scored his 21st Bundesliga goal of what could yet be a record-breaking season, but it was a team effort with five different scorers. Goalkeeper Manuel Neuer, too, stepped up with crucial saves as speculation ramps up over whether Bayern will extend the 39-year-old's contract.

Jürgen Klopp, watching on in his capacity as Red Bull's head of global soccer, was pleased when Romulo turned in David Raum's cross to take the lead in a dominant though wasteful first half performance.

Leipzig blunders got Bayern back into the game. In the 50th minute, Dayot Upamecano caught Leipzig's Christoph Baumgartner in possession and played in Serge Gnabry to score, and in the 67th Ridle Baku slipped as he went to intercept a cross leaving Kane with an easy finish.

After that it was one-way traffic as Jonathan Tah, Aleksandar Pavlovic and Michael Olise scored in the 83rd, 85th and 88th minutes to complete Bayern's victory.

To cap it off, attacking midfielder Jamal Musiala came off the bench late on for his first game since July when he broke his left leg at the Club World Cup, and celebrated with the Bayern fans after the final whistle.

The win restored Bayern's 11-point advantage over Borussia Dortmund, which scraped past St. Pauli 3-2 after letting a two-goal lead slip earlier.

The Dortmund crowd cheered the referee's announcement that video review showed St. Pauli's Ricky-Jade Jones had indeed fouled Maximilian Beier inside the penalty area, and was jubilant when Emre Can converted the spot kick.

Jones and American midfielder James Sands earlier scored to give last-placed St. Pauli hope of a valuable point in its fight against relegation, canceling out goals by Dortmund's Julian Brandt and Karim Adeyemi either side of halftime.

An audacious free kick from Wouter Burger gave Hoffenheim a 1-0 win over Bayer Leverkusen which boosts its unexpected charge for Champions League qualification.

With Leverkusen seemingly expecting a cross, Burger curled a free kick into the top corner from a wide angle to score the only goal early.

Back-to-back losses leave Leverkusen sixth and with doubts over winger Nathan Tella, who was helped off the field by medical staff, and goalkeeper Mark Flekken, who limped off after an hour when he seemed to jar his knee while making a save. Hoffenheim has lost once in the Bundesliga since October.

Urs Fischer's unbeaten start as Mainz coach ended in his seventh game after Cologne's Ragnar Ache scored twice in a comeback 2-1 win which leaves Mainz 17th.

Moritz Jenz's late header rescued a 1-1 draw for Wolfsburg against Heidenheim, which had been seeking a win to leave the relegation zone.

Hamburger SV missed a string of chances as it drew with Borussia Moenchengladbach 0-0. The game followed a week of hurried repairs at Hamburg's stadium to fix damage caused by melting snow which forced its last home game to be postponed.

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

Bayern's Serge Gnabry celebrates after scoring his side's opening goal during the Bundesliga soccer match between RB Leipzig and FC Bayern Munich in Leipzig, Germany, Saturday, Jan. 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)

Bayern's Jonathan Tah celebrates with team mate Michael Olise after scoring his side's third goal during the Bundesliga soccer match between RB Leipzig and FC Bayern Munich in Leipzig, Germany, Saturday, Jan. 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)

Bayern's Harry Kane scores his side's second goal during the Bundesliga soccer match between RB Leipzig and FC Bayern Munich in Leipzig, Germany, Saturday, Jan. 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)

Leverkusen's goalkeeper Mark Flekken, centre, misses the opening goal by Hoffenheim's Wouter Burger during the German Bundesliga soccer match between TSG 1899 Hoffenheim and Bayer Leverkusen in Sinsheim, Germany, Saturday, Jan. 17, 2026. (Uwe Anspach/dpa via AP)

Dortmund's Emre Can celebrates after he scored his side's decisive third goal from the penalty spot during the German Bundesliga soccer match between Borussia Dortmund and St. Pauli in Dortmund, Germany, Saturday, Jan. 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)