'Yellow Vest' wave."

"They are only the mouthpieces of a hateful crowd," who attack "elected representatives, security forces, journalists, Jews, foreigners, homosexuals," he said.

"[They] are quite simply the negation of France," the president added.

Giving his speech from an unusual standing position — in contrast to him usually sitting behind his table — Macron downplayed the possibility of referenda on major policy decisions and the ousting of elected representatives, moves that the Yellow Vests are calling for.

"The people is sovereign and it expresses itself at elections," he said. "We are a state under the rule of law."

This year was a particularly bad one for Emmanuel Macron, who rode in on a wave of popularity after his election in 2017, and entered 2018 with an approval rating of approximately 40%; thishad plunged to 20% by December.

Macron had initially been blasted for tax cuts for employers and the wealthy, which immediately earned him the nickname "President of the Rich", the New York Times reports.

Arguably the most powerful blow was the so-called Benalla Affair, in which Macron's bodyguard Alexandra Benalla was caught beating protesters on video. The scandal resurfaced with reports that Benalla had continued to travel on diplomatic passports and exchange messages with Macron long after his dismissal.

Macron also lost two prominent ministers within a rather short time span. In August, popular Environment Minister Nicolas Hulot resigned abruptly, followed by Interior Minister Gérard Collomb.

November saw the onset of the notorious Yellow Vests protests, initially prompted by rising fuel prices. They quickly evolved into a general protest against Macron's economic