French President Emmanuel Macron waves to the crowd | Nicolas Tucat/AFP via Getty Images Channelling Trump, Macron says media ‘no longer seeks truth’ French president lashes out at press for its coverage of scandal involving former aide.

Taking a page from Donald Trump's playbook, French President Emmanuel Macron has accused the media of not pursuing the "truth," as outrage grows over his handling of the Benalla affair.

"We have a press that no longer seeks truth," he told a news conference on Tuesday, in which he also assumed responsibility for the scandal.

Macron and his government have come under fire after French daily Le Monde released footage of Alexandre Benalla — a former security aide who gained a position within the executive Cabinet — borrowing riot police gear and assaulting two protesters at a May Day protest.

"[The media] says look! Looped images of a scene — which is inadmissible and which I condemn ... We never see images from before or after ... What is the context?" he told the audience. "Are [the images] shown with a desire to seek the truth, to present facts in a balanced manner? No," he said. "I see media powers who want to become judicial powers."

The scandal has brought parliamentary activities to a standstill, with opposition members demanding explanations on Macron's handling of the incident and the official position of Benalla, who was initially put on a 15-day leave before he was dismissed late last week.

Macron broke his six-day silence over the affair on Tuesday, following a two-day parliamentary inquiry, which saw top Cabinet officials and government ministers grilled over the affair.

The conservative Les Républicains party has said it will push for a vote of no-confidence in Macron's government.