WASHINGTON—A group of senior State Department officials will head to France and Ireland this week to push both countries to respect citizens’ rights, The Daily Wire has learned.
The trip is part of a State Department effort to fight &#8220;egregious examples of democratic backsliding&#8221; and &#8220;violations of basic natural rights&#8221; in Europe, a senior State Department official shared with The Daily Wire. The initiative, launched by the department’s Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, is especially focused on defending freedom of speech, freedom of religion, and the right to privacy.
The countries in question “claim to be bastions of democracy,&#8221; the senior State Department official explained, &#8220;they&#8217;re so-called liberal democracies that preach inclusivity and tolerance and progress, and the reality on the ground just simply shows that isn&#8217;t the case.&#8221;
In France, the State Department delegation will meet with government officials to discuss the recent arrest of French politician Marine Le Pen. In Ireland, their discussion will focus on concerns that a new European Union law could be used to censor free speech.
Under President Donald Trump, the State Department is working to push American allies to respect the rights of their citizens and the rights of American citizens. Foggy Bottom sees trips like this as opportunities to battle the global political apparatus that has been weaponized against both European and American people, an apparatus that wants to silence individuals who stand up for traditional values like faith, freedom, and family.
As Vice President JD Vance highlighted at the Munich Security Conference earlier this year, President Donald Trump&#8217;s administration sees real threats facing its allies in Europe &#8220;from within&#8221; — particularly cases of governments targeting their own citizens and particular forms of political and religious speech. Those targeted are disproportionately Christian, conservative, or nationalist.
&#8220;It&#8217;s not a coincidence that these kinds of global forces are using similar tactics to those that were used on this side of the Atlantic against President Trump and his supporters over the past eight years,&#8221; the State Department official shared.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio has <a href="https://f233cf64.streaklinks.com/CcLXDh56OqECKj6vpgth4qlU/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.state.gov%2Freleases%2Foffice-of-the-spokesperson%2F2025%2F05%2Fsecretary-of-state-marco-rubio-before-the-house-committee-on-appropriations-subcommittee-on-state-foreign-operations-and-related-programs-on-the-fy26-department-of-state-budget-request%2F" target="_blank" rel="noopener">repeatedly emphasized</a> that everything the State Department is doing must be done in the &#8220;national interest.&#8221; Increasingly, the State Department is noticing that the measures taken by the European Union are not only affecting European citizens, but also affecting American individuals and companies.
&#8220;In the spirit of our common culture or common Western heritage, that champions natural rights and free speech, we think we can speak frankly with our European allies about these real concerns,&#8221; that official noted. &#8220;If we&#8217;re not on the same page civilizationally, if we&#8217;re not on the same page politically, if we&#8217;re not on the same page values-wise, it makes those very important relationships much harder to guarantee.&#8221;
In March 2025, French authorities charged Marine Le Pen — a conservative and  presumptive presidential candidate for the &#8220;National Rally&#8221; — with embezzlement. A court quickly found her guilty, placed her on house arrest, and banned her from seeking elected office for five years.
The State Department is taking her stature as a political leader and the disproportionate speed at which the French government proceeded with the ban into consideration. They find her case &#8220;unique and concerning,&#8221; The Daily Wire has learned.
In Ireland, the officials will focus on the Digital Services Act, European Union legislation that will impact American companies based in Ireland, particularly technology companies. The legislation ostensibly aims to protect children by moderating online content and harmful practices like child pornography.
But in practice, a State Department official told the Daily Wire, it has been used to target political speech deemed to be hateful or offensive by European governments. American social media companies face heavy fines if they do not conform to the censorship rules.
&#8220;It&#8217;s obviously being weaponized, for political purposes,&#8221; the State Department official said.
State Department officials traveled to the United Kingdom earlier this year, where they met with Livia Tossici-Bolt, a woman prosecuted for holding a sign near a Bournemouth abortion clinic that read: “Here to talk if you want.”
The State Department issued a statement at the time announcing that it was monitoring Tossici-Bolt&#8217;s case and that it was important to the United States that the United Kingdom “respect and protect freedom of expression.&#8221; Tossici-Bolt was convicted in April and ordered to pay a fine of £20,000, <a href="https://f233cf64.streaklinks.com/CcLXDhZ391NTbBI6xAEv1WCt/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.theguardian.com%2Fworld%2F2025%2Fapr%2F04%2Fabortion-campaigner-livia-tossici-bolt-buffer-zone-clinic" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Guardian reports</a>.
The State Department trip comes amid an ongoing trade war between the United States and European nations. Pressed by The Daily Wire earlier this month as to whether a newly-signed trade deal with the United Kingdom included any assurances from Britain to protect free speech and freedom of religion, Trump and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said the agreement was solely focused on the economy.

Former President Donald Trump Rallies For Marco Rubio In Florida

EXCLUSIVE: State Department Officials Head To Europe To Fight For Free Speech

Censorship

Donald Trump

European Union

Marco Rubio

Marine Le Pen

State Department

President Donald Trump said Thursday that the ruling by a court to ban French right-wing leader Marine Le Pen from running for office was part of a “witch hunt” to keep her out of power. 
In a Truth Social post, Trump compared the ruling against Le Pen to the Russian collusion investigation that marred much of his first term in office. A court this week ruled that Le Pen and other members of the National Rally Party were guilty of embezzlement and banned the populist political figure from seeking office for five years.
“The Witch Hunt against Marine Le Pen is another example of European Leftists using Lawfare to silence Free Speech, and censor their Political Opponent, this time going so far as to put that Opponent in prison,” Trump <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/114277430639309106" target="_blank" rel="noopener">posted</a> before referencing the discredited Trump-Russian narrative.  
“It is the same ‘playbook’ that was used against me by a group of Lunatics and Losers, like Norm Eisen, Andrew Weissmann, and Lisa Monaco. They spent the last nine years thinking of nothing else, and they FAILED, because the People of the United States realized that they were only Corrupt Lawyers and Politicians,” Trump said. 
Trump added that he didn’t know Le Pen, but appreciated “how hard she worked for so many years.”
“She suffered losses, but kept on going, and now, just before what would be a Big Victory, they get her on a minor charge that she probably knew nothing about – Sounds like a ‘bookkeeping’ error to me,” Trump said. “It is all so bad for France, and the Great French People, no matter what side they are on. FREE MARINE LE PEN!”
Trump&#8217;s post was shared on X by his top donor, Elon Musk, who posted, &#8220;Free Le Pen!&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Free Le Pen! <a href="https://t.co/mtx3ndQ10r">pic.twitter.com/mtx3ndQ10r</a>
&mdash; Elon Musk (@elonmusk) <a href="https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1908013951113195741?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 4, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Le Pen was convicted over accusations that she took $4.9 million of European Parliament funds designed to aid legislators in the European Parliament to pay party staffers uninvolved in work for the parliament. Her party currently holds a plurality of seats in France&#8217;s national assembly but has not been able to put together a coalition government. 
In a recent interview, Le Pen, who was a front-runner in the French presidential election, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/millions-of-french-people-that-have-been-silenced-marine-le-pen-reacts-to-ban-on-her-running?row=0&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;author=Hank+Berrien&amp;title=‘Millions+Of+French+People+That+Have+Been+Silenced’%3A+Marine+Le+Pen+Reacts+To+Ban+On+Her+Running&amp;category=News" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> the ruling against her was politically motivated.
“I think the judges got it wrong,” she said. “I think they chose to ignore all of the explanations that were given because, in the very first hours of this trial, I had understood that the court was biased against us. I did not think the magistrates would go this far against our democratic process and interfere this much with the choice of the French. Let’s be clear: I have been silenced but it’s the voice of millions of French people that have been silenced as we speak tonight.”
Le Pen is speaking Sunday in Paris at a rally called “Let’s Save Democracy!&#8221;

MixCollage-04-Apr-2025-11-46-AM-2543

‘Using Lawfare To Silence Free Speech’: Trump Slams ‘Witch Hunt’ Against Marine Le Pen

Elon Musk

Executive

France

Global Politics

Russia

World

French leader Marine Le Pen, head of the right-wing National Rally Party, who was banned from running for president by a French court, recently reacted to the ruling in an interview with TF1.
The decision from the court accused Le Pen and others in her party of using $4.9 million of European Parliament funds designed to aid legislators in the European Parliament to pay party staffers uninvolved in work for the parliament.
“I perfectly understood that the court president was explaining that she was issuing a political ruling,” Le Pen stated. “The magistrate made it very clear that enforcing the temporary sentence barring me from seeking public office, rendered my appeal void and would prevent me from running and getting elected, she said, in the presidential election.”
“There are millions of French people who are outraged, outraged to an unbelievable extent when they see that, in France, the country of human rights, judges were implementing practices that we thought were typical of authoritarian regimes,” she continued.
“I think the judges got it wrong,” she said. “I think they chose to ignore all of the explanations that were given because, in the very first hours of this trial, I had understood that the court was biased against us. I did not think the magistrates would go this far against our democratic process and interfere this much with the choice of the French. Let’s be clear: I have been silenced but it’s the voice of millions of French people that have been silenced as we speak tonight.”
“I’m a fighter,” she <a href="https://www.facebook.com/reel/2378880949152842">declared</a>. “I’m not going to let myself be eliminated like that. I’m going to pursue every avenue of recourse that I can. There’s a small path; it may be narrow, but it does exist. In fact, I’m going to ask, in the clearest possible way for the appeal decision to be handed down enabling me to consider running in the presidential election. I will always stand by the French. Millions of French people believe in me. Millions of French people put their trust in me. And I’ve come to tell them, ‘I have been fighting for you for 30 years and I’ve been fighting injustice for thirty years. And so I’m going to keep doing it. And I will do it all the way.’”
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Far-Right Leader Marine Le Pen Election Ban Threatens Fragile Calm in French Politics

‘Millions Of French People That Have Been Silenced’: Marine Le Pen Reacts To Ban On Her Running

Trump’s tariffs go into effect at midnight as foreign leaders and state governors scramble to negotiate last-minute deals. Populist leader Marine Le Pen is banned from running for office in France after being found guilty of embezzlement. And, Elon Musk says he&#8217;s uncovered millions of non-citizens on the social security rolls, including thousands who allegedly voted.
It’s Tuesday, April 1st, and this is the news you need to know to start your day. If you’d rather listen to your news, today’s edition of the Morning Wire podcast can be heard below:
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<h2>Trump Tariffs Take Hold</h2>
<div id="attachment_900809" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-900809" class="size-large wp-image-900809" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/03/Trump-Tariff-EO-864x576.jpg" alt="" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/03/Trump-Tariff-EO-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/03/Trump-Tariff-EO-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/03/Trump-Tariff-EO-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/03/Trump-Tariff-EO-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/03/Trump-Tariff-EO-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/03/Trump-Tariff-EO-1800x1200.jpg 1800w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/03/Trump-Tariff-EO-1200x800.jpg 1200w" sizes="(max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" />(Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)</div>
Topline: Just hours from Donald Trump’s “Liberation Day,” consumers, corporations, and international trading partners are preparing for a slew of new tariffs that could reshape the global economy.
For weeks now, the president has floated various ideas on tariffs, sometimes saying he’d match the rates set by other countries, then floating the idea of a universal 20 percent rate, before saying that he could be “much more generous” with our trading partners. We’re still not entirely sure what the details of Trump’s “Liberation Day” policy will be – that ambiguity is almost certainly intentional.
The Art of the Deal: By waiting until the last minute, Trump has left the door open for negotiating. On Friday, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum met with Trump officials to discuss her plans to improve border security, clearly hoping to ease looming tariffs on her country. The president has fielded calls from the prime ministers of Canada and Great Britain — both men reportedly made their last-minute pitches seeking to dodge tariffs. In the last 72 hours, lawmakers in both parties have also been calling the White House to lobby for exemptions for particular industries in their states, and a flood of business leaders have made their case to the president, some vowing to bring manufacturing stateside and pour money into investments and jobs in exchange for lower tariffs.
While that shifting picture might benefit Trump from a negotiating standpoint, it has spooked markets. Wall Street saw its second worst day of the year on Friday and continued to see-saw Monday:
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">The DOW Jones was <a href="https://www.marketwatch.com/investing/index/djia">up 1%</a> at market close after a tumultuous day of trading</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">The NASDAQ was down <a href="https://www.nasdaq.com/">0.14%</a></li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">The <a href="https://www.marketwatch.com/investing/index/spx">S&amp;P 500</a> was up by 0.55%</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Japan’s <a href="https://www.marketwatch.com/investing/index/nik?countrycode=jp">NIKKEI 225 index</a> was down by more than 4%</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Various <a href="https://www.marketwatch.com/data-news/european-stocks-weaken-for-fourth-day-7859828b-bf1ee26684a5?mod=mw_quote_news">European stock exchanges</a> have been trending down for days</li>
</ul>
Amid the market swings and concerns over potential price increases from these tariffs, there’s no doubt that more voters have soured on President Trump’s handling of the economy — the issue he’s typically been the most popular on. Numerous polls show his approval rating on the economy lower now than at any point in his first or second term. <a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-poll-immigration-tariffs-trade-b7a430909606d6b8b27cfbc5049a32b4">The Associated Press</a>, for example, had him at 40%. If Liberation Day results in considerable price increases, there’s a real risk those numbers could fall even further.
<h2>French Opposition Leader Banned</h2>
<div id="attachment_900815" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-900815" class="size-large wp-image-900815" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/03/Le-What-864x576.jpg" alt="" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/03/Le-What-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/03/Le-What-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/03/Le-What-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/03/Le-What-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/03/Le-What-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/03/Le-What-1800x1200.jpg 1800w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/03/Le-What-1200x800.jpg 1200w" sizes="(max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" />(Photo by Tom Nicholson/Getty Images)</div>
Topline: Marine Le Pen, the populist frontrunner for France’s 2027 presidential race, has been convicted of embezzlement and banned from seeking office for five years.
Marine Le Pen is the leader of the National Rally, a right-wing political party in France. She has generally been characterized by the leaders of France’s establishment parties as an extremist but has proved to be very popular. She came in first place in the first round of the last French presidential election, and <a href="https://www.ifop.com/publication/les-intentions-de-vote-a-lelection-presidentielle-5/">polling</a> continues to show that more than 1 in 3 French voters back her and her party, more than any of the other prospective candidates. National Rally also holds a plurality of seats in France’s national assembly, 126/577, although they have been consistently kept out of government by coalitions of other parties.
Le Pen was found guilty of misappropriating several million euros in European Union funds. Her party was entitled to a certain amount of EU funding to pay staff to work for general European political operations, but the court determined she used that money to the benefit of her party rather than restricting it to EU-related expenses.
However: Ellen Fantini, managing editor of The European Conservative, told Morning Wire that virtually every major party in Europe uses these funds similarly. She says the way the conviction is being carried out makes it very clear that this is about sidelining Le Pen as a candidate.
“Under French law, of course, she can appeal the conviction, like in the United States,” Fantini said. “But the prohibition on running for office is in execution as of basically today, even though she has the right to appeal. So it&#8217;s obvious that that&#8217;s the real thing they wanted.”
Critics of the case against Le Pen have condemned it as a blatant weaponization of the justice system against a political opponent and compared the legal battle to the various efforts to convict Donald Trump on state and federal charges in the lead-up to the 2024 election. Leaders of right-wing parties across Europe have spoken up in support of Le Pen:
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">On Monday, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban posted, “Je suis Marine!” [I am Marine].</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Italy’s Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini, leader of the right-wing populist League party, called the ruling a “declaration of war by Brussels.”</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">“I am shocked by the incredibly tough verdict against Marine Le Pen,” Geert Wilders of the Netherlands’ right-wing Party for Freedom, <a href="https://apnews.com/article/le-pen-fall-far-right-france-3650ad8276aaee462c8e92f2904f400f">said</a>. “I support and believe in her 100% and I trust she will win the appeal and become President of France.”</li>
</ul>
Le Pen has already indicated that she will appeal the case, although her chances of overturning the ban before the 2027 election deadline are slim.
“This evening, millions of French people are indignant, indignant to an unimaginable extent seeing that France, the country of human rights, judges have implemented practices that were thought to be the reserve of authoritarian regimes,” Le Pen said in an interview on Monday.
<h2>Non-Citizen Social Security</h2>
<div id="attachment_900819" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-900819" class="wp-image-900819 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/03/Social-Security-Stock-Photo-864x576.jpg" alt="" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/03/Social-Security-Stock-Photo-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/03/Social-Security-Stock-Photo-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/03/Social-Security-Stock-Photo-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/03/Social-Security-Stock-Photo-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/03/Social-Security-Stock-Photo-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/03/Social-Security-Stock-Photo-1800x1200.jpg 1800w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/03/Social-Security-Stock-Photo-1200x800.jpg 1200w" sizes="(max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" />(Photo by Douglas Sacha via Getty Images)</div>
Topline: Elon Musk and venture capitalist Antonio Gracias have alleged widespread fraud in the Social Security system.
Senior figures within the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) project claimed to have uncovered millions of non-citizens who were collecting Social Security benefits and potentially voting in American elections. Musk and Gracias said on Sunday that 2.1 million non-citizens received Social Security Numbers last year alone, and 4.8 million received SSNs over the last four years. That alone isn’t necessarily evidence of fraud – non-citizens in the country under certain rules are eligible for Social Security Numbers – but the number of non-citizens receiving them surged under the Biden administration.
“The defaults in the system from Social Security to all of the benefit programs have been set to max inclusion, max pay for these people, and minimum collection,” Gracias <a href="https://x.com/Geiger_Capital/status/1906675223304228870">sai</a>d on Sunday. “We found 1.3 million of them already on Medicaid as an example.”
Social Security is currently deep in the red – the trust fund that handles retirement benefits, for instance, is expected to run out of money in 2033.
Musk claimed that the surge in illegal immigration and increased access to government benefits during the Biden years were intentional government policy. “They weren&#8217;t asleep at the switch. It was a massive, large-scale program to import as many illegals as possible, ultimately to change the entire voting map of the United States and disenfranchise the American people and make it a permanent deep blue one party state.”
Gracias says that some of these non-citizens who received Social Security numbers showed up to vote. “We actually just took a sample and looked at voter registration records and we found people here registered to vote,” Gracias said. “We found some by sampling that actually did vote, and we have referred them to prosecution.”

Trump Threatens New Tariffs On Multiple Countries As Second Term Nears

Morning Brief: Trump’s Tariffs, Le Pen Barred & Social Security Fraud?

Democracy

Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE)

DOGE

Europe

Illegal Immigation

Social Security

Tariffs

Trade War

A French court has now banned Marine Le Pen, who is highly likely to win the next election in France, from seeking public office for five years. The court convicted her of misusing European Union funds.
&#8220;The court ruled that Le Pen and other members of her party illegally used 4.4 million euros, equivalent to $4.8 million, in EU funding that was earmarked for assistants helping lawmakers in the European Parliament with their work,&#8221; The Wall Street Journal <a href="https://www.wsj.com/world/europe/frances-marine-le-pen-found-guilty-of-embezzlement-b8c42dac" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>. &#8220;Monday’s sentence bars Le Pen from seeking public office for the next five years, thrusting her far-right party into limbo. Le Pen also received a four-year prison sentence. Half of that term was suspended, judges said, adding that she could serve the remaining two years by using an electronic bracelet or other alternatives to jail time. The ruling takes Le Pen out of contention for the 2027 race, unless she can win a swift appeal. Le Pen had been expected to enter that contest as a front-runner as President Emmanuel Macron will be term limited and other prominent contenders have yet to emerge.&#8221;
This is crazy — but this is part and parcel of the broader attempt by Left-wing judiciary activists across the globe to stop “populist politicians” from being able to run.
We saw it with President Trump, where the DOJ went after him for supposed crimes, the same crimes for which they let Joe Biden off the hook. We saw it in New York, where a New York attorney general filed a civil fraud lawsuit in an attempt to stop then-candidate Trump.
We have seen it in Brazil, where the entire judicial apparatus has been brought down on the head of Jair Bolsonaro, the former president of Brazil, in favor of Lula da Silva, who was then freed by that same exact judiciary.
We&#8217;ve seen it in Romania, where Cǎlin Georgescu won the election in 2024 and then the judiciary decided the election had been rigged by the Russians and annulled it. 
We have seen it in Israel, where the attorney general of Israel has been targeting Benjamin Netanyahu on specious charges for literally years, and the judiciary keep saying that Netanyahu can&#8217;t perform the basic functions of an executive, such as fire his attorney general or fire anyone in the executive branch.
And now we are seeing it in France.
<h3><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/episode/bss-ep-2169-member-exclusive" target="_blank" rel="noopener">WATCH: The Ben Shapiro Show</a></h3>
It is absolutely amazing to watch these unelected officials going out of their way to thwart the will of the people in supposed democracies. It&#8217;s really insane.
You want to talk about undermining democracy itself? This undermines democracy because the reaction to this is, “Okay, what if we just overthrow the judicial institutions?”
Why do I feel like this is a put-up job? Because it takes effect immediately. The point is to get her out of the elections. Thus they&#8217;re suspending her jail sentence but they are not suspending her ban from running.
Le Pen had denied the charges, “testifying in court that it was appropriate for the assistants to perform other party-related work because they were political aides, not direct employees of the European Parliament,” the Journal noted.
In other words, if the European Parliament didn’t want them focused solely on party-related tasks, perhaps it should have hired them directly, rather than paying the party to handle some of its work. That sounds like a strong defense.
Is the idea here that Marine Le Pen desperately needed a couple of million euros in order to pay off her political party? I feel like she probably could have raised it. Her party&#8217;s pretty big in France.
This is just the latest NATO member to reject a populist candidate by some sort of judicial intervention.
If you want to talk about undermining the argument that democracy must flourish in Europe, this would be a great way to do it.

FRANCE-POLITICS-JUSTICE-TRIAL-RN

Marine Le Pen Banned From Running

Ben Shapiro

Conservatives

Corruption

Judiciary

Leftists

Opinion

Parliament

Populism

Prison

French opposition leader Marine Le Pen has been barred from running for political office following her conviction — along with several others in France&#8217;s Right-leaning National Rally Party — on charges of embezzling public funds.
The charges against Le Pen involved funding from the European Parliament to her party — some of which prosecutors said she had used to pay her own personal assistant and bodyguard.
Prosecutors asked that Le Pen receive two years in prison and five years of political ineligibility — the latter ensuring that she would not be able to run for president in 2027, a race she is currently favored to win.
Le Pen, who claimed prior to her sentencing that barring her from running would amount to &#8220;political death,&#8221; came in second to current French President Emmanuel Macron in the last two elections, and her party has been steadily gaining support. She argued that the court&#8217;s move to declare her ineligible to run would effectively disenfranchise millions of voters.
&#8220;There are 11 million people who voted for the movement I represent. So tomorrow, potentially, millions and millions of French people would see themselves deprived of their candidate in the election,&#8221; she said ahead of the sentencing. She stormed out of the courtroom on Monday before her full sentence had been announced.
Le Pen, who claimed prior to the sentencing that the prosecution&#8217;s goal had been to sideline her in the 2027 election, doubled down in a Monday appearance on French television network TF1: &#8220;It was a political decision that was made. The magistrate took it upon herself to implement the provisional execution of the ineligibility, to render my appeal on this matter useless in order to prevent me from standing and being elected President of the Republic.&#8221;
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C’est une décision politique qui a été rendue.
La magistrate a assumé de mettre en œuvre l&#39;exécution provisoire de l&#39;inéligibilité, de rendre mon appel inutile sur ce sujet pour m&#39;empêcher de me présenter et d&#39;être élue présidente de la République. <a href="https://t.co/N7TlTc4r9f">pic.twitter.com/N7TlTc4r9f</a>
&mdash; Marine Le Pen (@MLP_officiel) <a href="https://twitter.com/MLP_officiel/status/1906777645557408031?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 31, 2025</a></blockquote>
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Le Pen is not the only person to believe that the move was primarily political. Italian Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini summed up his thoughts in a post on X, saying, &#8220;Those who fear the judgment of voters often seek reassurance from the courts. In Paris, they have condemned Marine Le Pen and would like to remove her from political life. A bad situation that is also being observed in other countries such as Romania. What is happening against @MLP_officiel is a declaration of war from Brussels, at a time when the belligerent impulses of Von der Leyen and Macron are terrifying. We are not intimidated, we are not stopped: full speed ahead, my friend!&#8221;
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Ceux qui craignent le jugement des électeurs cherchent souvent à se rassurer par celui des tribunaux. À Paris, ils ont condamné Marine Le Pen et aimeraient l’écarter de la vie politique. Un mauvais film que l’on observe également dans d’autres pays comme la Roumanie. Ce qui se…
&mdash; Matteo Salvini (@matteosalvinimi) <a href="https://twitter.com/matteosalvinimi/status/1906666355572511062?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 31, 2025</a></blockquote>
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A number also pointed out via X that what had happened to Le Pen was exactly what Vice President JD Vance had been sounding the alarm about when he said that the major threats Europe faced would come from within.
&#8220;Less than 2 months after @JDVance warned that the greatest threat to Europe was from within, leftists in France have banned Marine Le Pen from running for President despite being the leading candidate. Fill up the JD Vance was right jar!&#8221;
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Less than 2 months after <a href="https://twitter.com/JDVance?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@JDVance</a> warned that the greatest threat to Europe was from within, leftists in France have banned Marine Le Pen from running for President despite being the leading candidate. Fill up the JD Vance was right jar! <a href="https://t.co/J0kylN0R8F">pic.twitter.com/J0kylN0R8F</a>
&mdash; Robby Starbuck (@robbystarbuck) <a href="https://twitter.com/robbystarbuck/status/1906709158499328259?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 31, 2025</a></blockquote>
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&nbsp;

Italy’s Deputy Prime Minister On Le Pen Conviction: ‘A Declaration Of War From Brussels’

Italy

Leftist and centrist parties in <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/france" target="_blank" rel="noopener">France</a> are attempting to join forces to stop Marine Le Pen’s right-wing National Rally party from taking power.
Last Sunday, National Rally won 34% of the vote; the left-wing New Popular Front won 28.12%, and President Emmanuel Macron’s centrist party, the Ensemble Coalition, won 20% of the vote. A second vote will be taken on Sunday.
“The second round of a French parliamentary is generally made up largely of run-off duels between the top two candidates in a constituency, but because so many third-placed candidates qualified on Sunday, that set up more than 300 three-way run-offs,” the BBC <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cd160dywp02o" target="_blank" rel="noopener">noted</a>.  That would make it easier for a candidate from Le Pen’s party to win.
Thus, at least 200 candidates from the centrist and leftist parties — 134 from the Left and 82 from Macron’s party, according to <a href="https://www.lemonde.fr/les-decodeurs/article/2024/07/02/legislatives-2024-pour-faire-barrage-au-rn-195-candidats-et-candidates-se-sont-deja-desistes-suivez-le-decompte-en-temps-reel_6245837_4355771.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Le Monde</a> — have withdrawn from the race so that in their constituencies, Le Pen’s party will see their candidate running against only one opponent, the one thought to have the best chance of winning.
After the election last Sunday, Jean-Luc Mélenchon, the head of the hard-Left party France Unbowed (which joined a coalition with the New Popular Front) and has refused to call Hamas a terrorist organization, advised any of his candidates who had finished third to withdraw, Politico <a href="//74ED9F05-1148-4281-BFFC-387F8DD1DACC/v" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>.
French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal, aligned with Macron, echoed the message, saying, “In such circumstances, France deserves that we not hesitate.”
<a href="https://onelink.to/dwapp" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" aria-describedby="sk-tooltip-9096" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://onelink.to/dwapp&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1712932862202000&amp;usg=AOvVaw0plT8RRdMy9XUpIhocnjQS">CLICK HERE TO GET THE DAILYWIRE+ APP</a>
But some centrists who strongly oppose the hard-Left would not countenance supporting them in order to defeat the National Rally party because of their penchant for spending and their opposition to supporting the state of Israel in its war against Hamas. “Senior figures like Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire and former prime minister Edouard Philippe – both originally from the center-right – are refusing to issue instructions to vote systematically against the RN,” the BBC <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cg3m98j3zpyo">reported</a>.
On Tuesday, Le Pen also accused Macron of a “administrative coup d’état” after being apprised that he was getting ready to make important appointments in the police and army.
“When you want to counter the results of an election by nominating your people to jobs, and when that stops [the government] from being able to carry out policies which the French people have asked for &#8230; I call that an administrative coup d’état. &#8230; I hope it is only rumor,” she said.

FRANCE-POLITICS-ELECTIONS-PARTIES-RN

France’s Left, Center Join Forces To Stop Le Pen From Taking Power In Sunday’s Election

Elections

Emmanuel Macron

Protests rocked Paris and several other cities across France after French President Emmanuel Macron&#8217;s party suffered massive losses in Sunday&#8217;s first round of parliamentary elections. Marine Le Pen&#8217;s right-wing populist party, the National Rally Alliance, was the big winner.
National Rally, <a href="https://www.politico.eu/article/first-round-france-legislative-elections-live-updates-emmanuel-macron-marine-le-pen/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according to Politico</a>, came out of the first round with 34% of the vote — up from 18.7% in 2022 — which means that it is possible for them to win an outright majority next week.
Macron&#8217;s Ensemble Coalition, largely viewed as centrist, finished third in the vote count with 20% (down from 25.8% in 2022). The far left party came away with 28.1%, which Politico reported as a &#8220;strong showing&#8221; but not likely strong enough to follow it up with a majority win next week.
In the wake of the elections, left-wing protesters — reportedly an amalgam of French socialists, communists, and pro-Palestinians — descended upon Paris&#8217; Place de la République by the thousands. Other demonstrations were reported in Strasbourg, Lyon, Nantes and Lille.
&#8220;Mass Demonstrations and Riots by Far-Left Groups alongside Islamists are ongoing tonight in the French Capital of Paris as well as several other Cities around the Country, in Response to today’s Election Results which saw the Right-Wing Populist Party, National Rally led by Marine Le Pen make Major Gains in the French Parliament,&#8221; OSINTdefender posted via X, sharing several videos of the protests. &#8220;Notice how out all of the Flags being waved by these Demonstrators, none are the French Flag.&#8221;
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Mass Demonstrations and Riots by Far-Left Groups alongside Islamists are ongoing tonight in the French Capital of Paris as well as several other Cities around the Country, in Response to today’s Election Results which saw the Right-Wing Populist Party, National Rally led by… <a href="https://t.co/UTPvzCZi8R">pic.twitter.com/UTPvzCZi8R</a>
— OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) <a href="https://twitter.com/sentdefender/status/1807544584462864749?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 30, 2024</a></blockquote>
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Des tensions éclatent à Paris.
Des manifestants tirent des feux d&#8217;artifice en direction de la police. Plusieurs départs de feu.<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ElectionsLegislatives2024?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ElectionsLegislatives2024</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/legislatives2024?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#legislatives2024</a> <a href="https://t.co/3AwpjVxRQS">pic.twitter.com/3AwpjVxRQS</a>
— Luc Auffret (@LucAuffret) <a href="https://twitter.com/LucAuffret/status/1807543640719339821?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 30, 2024</a></blockquote>
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Les manifestants partent en manifestation spontanée dans les rues de Paris.<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ElectionsLegislatives2024?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ElectionsLegislatives2024</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/legislatives2024?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#legislatives2024</a> <a href="https://t.co/sJ3Xr6UuKG">pic.twitter.com/sJ3Xr6UuKG</a>
— Luc Auffret (@LucAuffret) <a href="https://twitter.com/LucAuffret/status/1807540378809110933?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 30, 2024</a></blockquote>
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&#8220;Tonight, mass demonstrations and riots are occurring in Paris and other cities across France. Far-left groups and Islamists are protesting the recent election results, where Marine Le Pen&#8217;s right-wing populist party, National Rally, made significant gains in the French Parliament. Despite the intensity of the protests, it&#8217;s noteworthy that none of the demonstrators are seen waving the French flag,&#8221; another posted.
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❗️🔥🇫🇷 &#8211; Tonight, mass demonstrations and riots are occurring in Paris and other cities across France.
Far-left groups and Islamists are protesting the recent election results, where Marine Le Pen&#8217;s right-wing populist party, National Rally, made significant gains in the French… <a href="https://t.co/T8pgsYSLw3">pic.twitter.com/T8pgsYSLw3</a>
— 🔥🗞The Informant (@theinformant_x) <a href="https://twitter.com/theinformant_x/status/1807548836711403707?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 30, 2024</a></blockquote>
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&#8220;Here’s footage from Paris tonight,&#8221; Open Source Intel posted. &#8220;Thousands of left-wing activists, along with ANTIFA, communists are protesting the French election results after left-wing parties suffered crushing defeats.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Here’s footage from Paris tonight.
Thousands of left-wing activists, along with ANTIFA, communists are protesting the French election results after left-wing parties suffered crushing defeats.
Footage via <a href="https://twitter.com/LucAuffret?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@LucAuffret</a> <a href="https://t.co/QSGBkXxWvO">https://t.co/QSGBkXxWvO</a> <a href="https://t.co/IZrF8gmocJ">pic.twitter.com/IZrF8gmocJ</a>
— Open Source Intel (@Osint613) <a href="https://twitter.com/Osint613/status/1807541811742675029?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 30, 2024</a></blockquote>
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Anti-far-right protests erupt in Paris following election results

Protests Erupt In Paris After Marine Le Pen’s Party Wins Big In Parliamentary Elections

Protests Erupt In Paris After Marine Le Pen's Party Wins Big In Parliamentary Elections

anti-Israel

Paris

Politics

Protests

President Joe Biden said Monday that French President Emmanuel Macron had not been available to take his call offering congratulations for his reelection win.
Biden explained that he had called, but had spoken to staff members because Macron had been busy <a href="https://dailywire.com/news/french-president-macron-wins-second-term-over-right-wing-candidate-le-pen/">celebrating his win</a>.
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BIDEN: &quot;I tried to talk to [Macron] last night. We spoke with his staff, but he was uh, at the Eiffel Tower having a good time.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/eJsr7l3N2W">pic.twitter.com/eJsr7l3N2W</a>
&mdash; Townhall.com (@townhallcom) <a href="https://twitter.com/townhallcom/status/1518622335267397635?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 25, 2022</a></blockquote>
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&#8220;I tried to talk to [Macron] last night. We spoke with his staff, but he was uh, at the Eiffel Tower having a good time,&#8221; Biden told reporters on Monday.
Macron <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2022/04/24/europe/french-election-results-macron-le-pen-intl/index.html">won 58.5% of the vote</a> during a runoff election that took place on Sunday. He and far-right challenger Marine Le Pen had advanced from a field of 12 candidates to the runoff after the April 10 election, and Sunday&#8217;s final vote made Macron the first French President in two decades to win reelection.
Macron acknowledged during his victory speech that some had voted for him not because they liked him but because they had concerns about the far-right position taken by his opponent — and he promised to address their concerns and unite France going forward.
&#8220;An answer must be found to the anger and disagreements that led many of our compatriots to vote for the extreme right,&#8221; Macron said as he declared victory on Sunday. &#8220;It will be my responsibility and that of those around me.&#8221;
President Biden also offered his congratulations to Macron in a tweet late Sunday, saying, &#8220;Congratulations to @EmmanuelMacron on his re-election. France is our oldest ally and a key partner in addressing global challenges. I look forward to our continued close cooperation — including on supporting Ukraine, defending democracy, and countering climate change.&#8221;
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Congratulations to <a href="https://twitter.com/EmmanuelMacron?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@EmmanuelMacron</a> on his re-election. France is our oldest ally and a key partner in addressing global challenges. I look forward to our continued close cooperation — including on supporting Ukraine, defending democracy, and countering climate change.
&mdash; President Biden (@POTUS) <a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS/status/1518361861661544448?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 24, 2022</a></blockquote>
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Macron reportedly did take a call from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, however. &#8220;Macron spoke to Zelenskiy tonight, who congratulated him on his re-election, the Elysée says,&#8221; Reuters reporter Michel Rose tweeted.
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Macron spoke to Zelenskiy tonight, who congratulated him on his re-election, the Elysée says
&mdash; Michel Rose (@MichelReuters) <a href="https://twitter.com/MichelReuters/status/1518365599088447489?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 24, 2022</a></blockquote>
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The French President is not the first world leader to miss a call from the White House in recent weeks, either.
&#8220;This is the second world leader in just months who ignored Joe Biden’s phone calls,&#8221; New York Post reporter Jonathan Levine <a href="https://twitter.com/LevineJonathan/status/1518621181187874817">tweeted</a>, going on to share an article about leaders from both Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates who declined to take phone calls from President Biden amid the Russian war on Ukraine.
&#8220;This was March,&#8221; he added in the caption.
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This was March <a href="https://t.co/7KDNhPObXh">https://t.co/7KDNhPObXh</a>
&mdash; Jon Levine (@LevineJonathan) <a href="https://twitter.com/LevineJonathan/status/1518621682348564480?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 25, 2022</a></blockquote>
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According to a <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/saudi-emirati-leaders-decline-calls-with-biden-during-ukraine-crisis-11646779430">report</a> from The Wall Street Journal, Saudi and UAE leadership indicated that they would not help President Biden address rising gas prices unless he agreed to support them in Yemen.

Election Night With Emmanuel Macron’s Supporters During France’s 2022 Presidential Race Results

‘He Was, Uh, At The Eiffel Tower’: Biden Says French President Wasn’t There To Take Congratulatory Call

Joe Biden

Ukraine

Volodymyr Zelensky

A man stabbed a Catholic priest several times and injured a nun at a French church on Sunday after shouting, “We have to kill Macron.”
Both the priest and the nun <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/world/france-nice-knife-attack-catholic-priest-stabbed-nun-injured">survived</a> the attack, which took place at a church in Nice beside the French Riviera. The motives of the suspect, who was taken into custody by police, are still unclear, although his mental faculties had been under watch.
The nun, Sister Marie-Claude, was injured while trying to stop the attacker from stabbing the priest, Father Christophe. Her actions were praised as heroic and she was credited for having “extraordinary courage.”
Both were at the Église Saint-Pierre-d&#8217;Arène de Nice Catholic Church when the assault unfolded.
“Speaking with reporters at the scene, Nice Mayor Christian Estrosi described the suspect as a mentally unstable French national who was born in Fréjus, a port town on the Côte d&#8217;Azur in southeastern France,” Fox News reported. “Bernard Gonzalez, the prefect of the Alpes-Maritimes department of southeast France, added that according to the preliminary investigation, the suspect had no criminal record and was unknown to police services.”
The outlet also noted that the attacker had reportedly been under psychiatric monitoring. Before attacking the priest, the French outlet Le Figaro <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/nice-attack-priest-nun-macron-b2064380.html">reported</a> that the attacker said, “We have to kill Macron.”
“I was the first on the scene once I was alerted to the incident by my assistant and the local police,” Estrosi <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/nice-attack-priest-nun-macron-b2064380.html">told</a> reporters. “Both local and national police were swiftly on the scene together to neutralize the disturbance.”
Estrosi also provided an update on the status of Father Christophe.
“I want to thank the emergency services even though the priest is currently in the emergency care unit, he&#8217;s being well taken care of and we are in constant contact with him and despite everything he is doing well and is awake and alert,” he said.
The attack came the same day as citizens across France <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/french-president-macron-wins-second-term-over-right-wing-candidate-le-pen">voted</a> in the second round of the country’s presidential elections. Incumbent President Emmanuel Macron defeated right-wing challenger Marine Le Pen.
“President Macron is expected to take 58.2% of the vote to Le Pen’s 41.8%, according to an analysis of voting data by pollsters Ipsos &amp; Sopra Steria conducted for broadcasters France Televisions and Radio France,” CNN <a href="https://www.cnn.com/europe/live-news/macron-le-pen-french-election-results-04-24-22-intl/index.html">reported</a> Sunday.
Le Pen has conceded to Macron, stating that France missed a chance to make a move for freedom throughout the country.
“A great wind of freedom could have blown over our country, the fate of the ballot box wanted otherwise,” she said. “I will not abandon the French! Vive la France.”
Le Pen favored restrictions on immigration, reducing the country’s connections to NATO, and hoped to introduce a ban on headscarves being worn in public by Muslim women.

The sun rises behind a Christian cross

Catholic Priest, Nun Injured In Stabbing Attack At French Church

Catholicism

Crime

French President Emmanuel Macron has won a second term, according to pollsters&#8217; projections, fending off another challenge from a right-wing candidate.
Macron faced off against Marine Le Pen in a runoff election held Sunday in France. Pollsters predicted an hour before voting closed in the country that Macron would easily win, beating Le Pen by nearly 17 points.
“President Macron is expected to take 58.2% of the vote to Le Pen&#8217;s 41.8%, according to an analysis of voting data by pollsters Ipsos &amp; Sopra Steria conducted for broadcasters France Televisions and Radio France,” CNN <a href="https://www.cnn.com/europe/live-news/macron-le-pen-french-election-results-04-24-22-intl/index.html">reported</a> Sunday.
Shortly after the predictions, Le Pen conceded, stating, &#8220;A great wind of freedom could have blown over our country, the fate of the ballot box wanted otherwise.”
She concluded her concession speech promising to continue fighting for France. “I will not abandon the French! Vive la France,” Le Pen said.
Le Pen gained support as a nationalist candidate who focused on an extreme France-first agenda, standing against NATO and immigration. She also vowed to ban Muslim women from wearing headscarves in public, something Macron quickly criticized as dangerously xenophobic. &#8220;I&#8217;m telling it in a very clear manner: I think the headscarf is a uniform imposed by Islamists,&#8221; Le Pen said, according to the Daily Mail.
The race became heated last week when, during a <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10738501/Marine-Le-Pen-slumps-polls-pledging-BAN-Islamic-headscarf-TV-debate-Macron.html">debate</a> on Wednesday night, Le Pen pledged to ban headscarves in public and Macron accused her of being “in the grip of Russia.” Macron claimed that Le Pen is still paying back money to a Moscow bank as Russia invades Ukraine. &#8220;War is raging on the continent,&#8221; Macron said during the debate.
&#8220;Times are very dangerous indeed. Russia is strengthening its offensive, and this will lead to more human disasters,&#8221; he added.
After the debate, polls showed Le Pen drop among voters. “Survey results published hours after the face-off showed Macron on 59 per cent of the vote, and his right-wing right rival on 39 per cent, with 2 per cent abstentions,” the Daily Mail reported.
The two political rivals also faced each other in the 2017 election when Macron beat Le Pen by an even larger margin than what pollsters are predicting for Sunday&#8217;s outcome. In 2017, Macron won nearly two thirds of the vote to Le Pen’s 33%, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/live/2022/04/24/world/french-election-runoff-results">per</a> The New York Times.
The Times also wrote that Macron becomes the first French president to be reelected since 2002. 
The French president has been criticized for his harsh words toward those who wish to remain unvaccinated against COVID-19. In January, he doubled down on saying he wanted to “piss off” unvaccinated people, The Daily Wire <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/french-president-macron-doubles-down-on-comment-to-piss-off-the-unvaccinated">reported</a>.
“When some make from their freedom … a motto, not only do they put others’ lives at risk, but they are also curtailing others’ freedom,” Macron said in January. “That I cannot accept.”

French President Macron Wins Second Term Over Right-Wing Candidate Le Pen

Election

The results of the parliamentary elections for the European Union were a loss for the European Union itself. Despite pro-EU parties <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2019/05/26/eu-election-results-greens-and-euroskeptics-gain.html">reportedly</a> maintaining two-thirds of seats in the parliament, euroskeptics and nationalists solidified their power and made gains, signaling division and challenges soon to come.
In Italy, the anti-immigration and nationalist party, Lega Nord (League) Party, reportedly secured a victory of 28 seats. Following the win, the leader, Interior Minister Matteo Salvini <a href="https://www.express.co.uk/news/world/1132447/european-elections-latest-news-matteo-salvini-league-lega-italy-democratic-party-brexit">said</a>, &#8220;A new Europe is born.&#8221;
&#8220;As far as I&#8217;m concerned, if the League wins nothing changes in Italy, everything will change in Europe, starting from tomorrow,&#8221; he added. 
In the United Kingdom, the 6-week-old Brexit Party led by Nigel Farage, had a comfortable victory, securing a majority with 31.7% and 29 seats. Farage called the results &#8220;one hell of an achievement.&#8221;
In an <a href="https://metro.co.uk/2019/05/27/nigel-farage-become-prime-minister-brexit-party-9695684/">interview</a>, Farage said if the U.K. does not leave the European Union by October 31, his party will &#8220;go on to a general election and stun everybody there too.&#8221;
Farage repeated his warning on Twitter. &#8220;Never before in British politics has a party just 6 weeks old won a national election,&#8221; he wrote. &#8220;If Britain does not leave the EU on October 31, these results will be repeated at a general election. History has been made. This is just the beginning.&#8221;
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Never before in British politics has a party just 6 weeks old won a national election.
If Britain does not leave the EU on October 31st, these results will be repeated at a general election.
History has been made. This is just the beginning.<a href="https://t.co/J7xqwdwZin">pic.twitter.com/J7xqwdwZin</a>
&#8212; Nigel Farage (@Nigel_Farage) <a href="https://twitter.com/Nigel_Farage/status/1132794993758941185?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 26, 2019</a></blockquote>
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In France, Marine Le Pen&#8217;s far-right and anti-EU National Right party performed worse than it had in 2014, but still managed to win 22 seats. Le Pen&#8217;s party slightly outperformed President Emmanuel Macron&#8217;s party, which won 21 seats.
&#8220;The French people have clearly punished the president tonight, and taught him a lesson in humility,&#8221; said Jordan Bardella, the 23-year-old who led the party&#8217;s list. &#8220;Tonight, it&#8217;s him and his policies who have been rejected.&#8221;
Macron&#8217;s party did not frame the results as a loss and instead pointed to the environmental Green party making gains as encouraging. 
&#8220;It is clear from this result that the environment is a real concern for the French people,&#8221; said Amélie de Montchalin, the secretary of state for European affairs, according to <a href="https://www.politico.eu/article/france-far-right-beats-emmanuel-macron-green-surge/">Politico</a>. &#8220;The president made it the first priority of the Renaissance list, and we will be able to work with the Greens.&#8221;
German Chancellor Angel Merkel&#8217;s coalition, concerned about the results, is holding &#8220;crisis talks&#8221; on Monday, reported <a href="https://www.france24.com/en/20190527-merkels-coalition-crisis-talks-after-eu-vote-debacle">France 24</a>. Merkel&#8217;s coalition was given their worst score in European election history due to the environmental party, the Greens, receiving significant support.
Voter turnout from the 2014 election to this year&#8217;s election was reportedly up from 43% to 51%. 
Pope Francis expressed his concerns about the results of the elections and warned against fearing migrants. 
&#8220;The signs of meanness we see around us heighten our fear of &#8216;the other&#8217;, the unknown, the marginalized, the foreigner,&#8221; he <a href="https://www.straitstimes.com/world/europe/pope-francis-sounds-racism-alarm-as-eu-nationalists-win-big">said</a> on Monday, which also happens to be the World Day of Migrants and Refugees.
&#8220;To some extent, the fear is legitimate, also because the preparation for this encounter is lacking,&#8221; the Pope said of Europe&#8217;s approach to the migrant issue. &#8220;But the problem is not that we have doubts and fears. The problem is when they condition our way of thinking and acting to the point of making us intolerant, closed and perhaps even &#8211; without realising it &#8211; racist.&#8221;

EU Elections: Nationalists And Euroskeptics Are Here To Stay

Nigel Farage

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