PARIS — Punching back at jibes that he is the “President of the Rich,” Emmanuel Macron visited troubled parts of France this week — an impoverished suburb and a depressed industrial town — promising help, attention and money.

Mostly, though, Mr. Macron, the young president who upended French politics with his election last spring, stuck to the theme that his attempt to overhaul the country’s economy will aid all classes, including the poor.

“I have no idea what that means, to have a ‘policy for the rich,’ ” Mr. Macron said in a combative speech on Tuesday in Tourcoing, in France’s struggling north, outlining his long-awaited urban policy for the country.

In addition to offering cash and training, Mr. Macron zeroed in on fighting discrimination by employers — a widespread practice not generally acknowledged in France, where affirmative action is largely seen as a hateful American import.