Last Wednesday, Sarah Knafo celebrated her 31st birthday. Accustomed to operating in the shadows, the young woman said nothing to her guests about her intention to enter active politics. Familiar with the mysteries of power, but usually discreet on the public stage, she hesitated for a long time before taking the plunge. Two days after the birthday, she revealed to Figaro his decision to join Marion Maréchal’s list for the European elections on June 9.
About Sarah Knafo, everything has been said and written, or almost. Who, if not her, can boast of having inspired a work on her life at the age of 29? Born in Seine-Saint-Denis into a family of Sephardic Jews from Algeria who were not very politicized, she obtained her baccalaureate and continued her studies at Sciences Po. During this period, she met Éric Zemmour, with whom she held discussions nourished on political life and ideas. He encourages her to prepare for Ena. She joined the Molière class in 2018-2019. During the Covid crisis, she is on the front line, serving the State from the Seine-Saint-Denis prefecture. When she left Ena, she joined the Court of Auditors.
Over the years, it has become politicized and closer to sovereignist trends. She then had particular admiration for Marie-Françoise Garaud, former advisor to President Georges Pompidou and Jacques Chirac. Garaud is a model for Knafo: strong, influential woman, capable of getting into the head of the politician she serves. She plays her first role as a shadow advisor to Henri Guaino, former advisor to Nicolas Sarkozy. In 2021, as the presidential election looms, she chooses to take leave to devote herself to the campaign of Éric Zemmour, who has become her life partner.
Sarah Knafo’s extensive network
The linchpin of the campaign, Sarah Knafo relies on a vast network of press bosses, political figures, prefects and business leaders. His influence extends well beyond traditional right-wing circles. Without always admitting it publicly, many of them went to his home for discreet discussions. Just before the presidential campaign, during a brunch with friends, Sarah Knafo encouraged them to take time off. She is expecting an important visitor: Jacques Attali, formerly close to President Mitterrand, theorist of happy globalization; the meeting takes place on his initiative to prolong a discussion that began by chance while they were traveling side by side on the same plane.
During the 2022 campaign, it is both discreet and essential. It is she who orchestrates the rallying of support for Éric Zemmour, who writes the speeches and supervises the program. If Zemmour is the face of the campaign, she is its architect. His name is circulating as much in the media as in the corridors of the Élysée. In January 2022, during a dinner organized by Emmanuel Macron with renowned industrialists, including Xavier Niel, the president said in the middle of the meal: “Sorry, but the political figure of the campaign is not Éric Zemmour, This is Sarah Knafo. » Brigitte Macron nods her head in agreement.
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Sarah Knafo has a double challenge: for herself of course, but also for her mentor
Two years later, Sarah Knafo has matured, marked in particular by the birth of her first child. She is launching a European campaign which is struggling to take off in the face of steamroller Jordan Bardella, whom she describes as a “conjuror”. For the first time, she will speak publicly at Benjamin Duhamel this Sunday, at 6 p.m., on BFM TV. The opportunity for her to clarify her strategy against the RN, which seems to diverge somewhat with that of Marion Maréchal. Regardless of the nuances, his arrival on the list is seen as good news, and silences the angry people who criticized him for staying “hidden”.
Zemmour’s most ardent supporter, Sarah Knafo has a double challenge: for herself of course, but also for her mentor. If the list drawn by Marion Maréchal fails below 5%, Éric Zemmour’s prospects for 2027 will become almost zero. What about his personal ambitions? “We know very well that she is not here to be a European deputy”, confides a relative. The main interested party remains unclear and prefers to let friends and adversaries speculate. Even if it means drawing plans on the comet… During the 2022 presidential campaign, Marlène Schiappa, impressed by the young woman, told Éric Zemmour: “Your partner is crazy!” It absolutely must appear in 2027.”