Macron has never been a liberal in american sense (aka a leftist). He's a liberal in european sense (aka for free trade and EU and anti wellfare).

Macron has the same ideas about Africa and same economic politic as our last moderate right wing president Nicolas Sarkozy. He's even rather tough on migrants, we are refusing more asylum seekers than ever and he recently passed a harsh immigration bill making many leftists lose temper and label him fascist etc.

The funny thing is reading stupid New York Times american style liberals, or anti-Trump showmen like Olivier, who don't understand shit to french politics, suddenly realising he was not their man at all, when they were celebrating him like the savior of free world after he was elected.