Overview

• The on-air mix-up occurred Thursday, September 25, at the end of France 2’s 20h interview with former Sarkozy adviser Henri Guaino.
• Léa Salamé addressed her guest as “Claude Guéant,” and Guaino responded, “Non, non, Claude Guéant ce n’est pas moi,” after which she corrected herself.
• The reference confused Guaino with Claude Guéant, the ex-interior minister recently sentenced to six years in the Libyan financing case and fined €250,000.
• Clips of the exchange circulated widely on social networks and were linked to criticism over a recent misstep in Salamé’s interview with Marion Cotillard.
• The episode comes as France 2’s 20h lags TF1 in viewership, drawing about 3.75 million nightly versus roughly 5 million for its competitor.