In 2016, the National Front applauded Donald Trump's victory in the American presidential election and Marine Le Pen expressed her admiration for Russian President Vladimir Putin.
In 2024, the renamed far-right National Rally party shines by his discretion. Have its leaders changed their minds? Not necessarily. But they are careful not to speak in public.
According to our colleagues from France Info, Marine Le Pen even forbidden to his troops to openly support the American billionaire. Jordan Bardella is one of the few to have gone beyond the instructions, by taking precautions: “ I am not a US citizen, so I will respect the vote of American voters. Donald Trump defends the interests of Americans and defends a form of American pride. And I love this patriotism. »
Éric Ciotti, the former boss of the Republicans, now joined the RN, estimated this Tuesday, November 5, that an election of former President Donald Trump “would be more beneficial for the economic and political balances” of the world .
Why is the National Rally distancing itself from Trump?
The RN's strategy has clearly changed since 2016. At that time, big fan of the billionaireMarine Le Pen had sought to meet him during a trip to New York. Without success.
Two years later, the campaign to demonize the FN took off… and with it a search for notabilisation. No more sticking too closely to the coattails of a Trump involved in the assault on the Capitol and being prosecuted.
According to Mathieu Gallard, director of studies at Ipsos, “the leaders of the RN have no interest in getting too close or too far from Trump, because perhaps part of their most radicalized electorate is pro-Trump, but clearly not all of their voters.”
An Elabe poll published on October 30 shows that only 13% of French people want a victory for Donald Trump compared to 64% for Kamala Harris. And, even among RN voters, they are only 30% to be favorable to the Republican candidate against 46% for the vice-president.
Unambiguous support at Reconquête
Éric Zemmour had prided himself on telephone exchange with Trump during the 2022 presidential campaign. His support for the billionaire is clearly displayed.
MEP Sarah Knafo, who takes on Donald Trump as a model for the French conservative right, attended one of the Republican candidate's last meetings, in Pennsylvania.
She supports on X the “candidate of national identity and peace”, the one who “defends freedom of expression alongside Elon Musk against all censors”.
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