The political ideology known as “Macronism” has always been about action, even agitation, at least in verbal form. Emmanuel Macron burst onto the scene in 2017 promising a “revolution.” Since then, over more than six years as France’s president, he has embraced a “refoundation” and renamed his political party “Renaissance.” Now, he’s calling for civic “rearmament.”

It is perhaps not evident from this re-energizing lexicon of a restless man that in many ways Mr. Macron, 46, has moved in a conservative direction. The other word beginning with “R” that characterizes a president whose roots lie in the Socialist Party is “rightward.”

Mr. Macron’s prime-time news conference this week was laced with the words “order” and “respect” as the president called for “La Marseillaise,” France’s national anthem, to be learned in primary school and for the experimental reintroduction of school uniforms.

He would, he said, dedicate himself to ensuring that “France remains France,” reintroducing civics lessons, instituting a form of mandatory community service for teenagers, combating illegal immigration and doubling the police presence in the streets to fight drugs and “incivility.” Mr. Macron had clearly freed his inner de Gaulle.

As nods and winks to the right go, his performance was conspicuous. “Macronism is dead, long live SarkoMacronism!” Franz-Olivier Giesbert wrote in the weekly newsmagazine Le Point, alluding to former President Nicolas Sarkozy, a right-wing politician with an Energizer Bunny style.

This was perhaps a little unfair to Mr. Macron, who delivered a 150-minute tour de force that addressed every dossier from the war in Ukraine to the spread of infertility in French society. His performance was also a reminder for Americans of what youth can deliver in politics.