5,000 euros of debt per second, antibiotic consumption: the truth behind Bayrou's shock phrases

To escape what the Prime Minister calls the "death trap" of debt, the Prime Minister has not skimped on shock phrases, abysmal figures, and striking comparisons. In his address to the French people this Tuesday, François Bayrou advocated a "moment of truth" for the nation, which requires an awareness of the seriousness of the budgetary stakes and the urgency of bringing the public accounts back into balance. For the moment, one thing is certain: while he has not convinced the opposition and the general public, a number of his phrases have made an impression. Le Figaro reviews the most striking of these and verifies their accuracy.

"Every second that passes, every second, France's debt increases by 5,000 euros." Rather than lamenting the amount of public debt, which, according to the INSEE , reached 3,345.4 billion euros at the end of March 2025, the Prime Minister chose to illustrate its rate of increase. The image is particularly...