Humour politique sur Macron et les premiers de cordée

What does “premier de cordée” mean in French politics?

In climbing, le premier de cordée is the lead climber on the rope, the one who goes up first and then hauls the rest of the team to their level. Emmanuel Macron borrowed it to defend his economics: the high earners climb first and pull everyone up. The phrase stuck, became instantly recognizable, and now carries a charge — say it and French listeners hear the whole debate about wealth and trickle-down.

The image is that if you throw rocks at the premiers de cordée, the whole rope comes tumbling down. Comedians flipped it into a punchline for out-of-touch privilege — this bit riffs that the lead climbers have gone off doing their “tax-climbing” in Switzerland and Belgium. Knowing the metaphor unlocks a recurring image in French satire.