A court’s decision to ban French far-right leader Marine Le Pen from seeking public office is “a very big deal,” U.S. President Donald Trump said Monday.
“I know all about it and a lot of people thought she wasn’t going to be convicted for anything,” Trump said at a White House signing ceremony for an executive order intended to scrutinize certain practices of concert ticket resellers, where he was accompanied by the performer known as Kid Rock.
In a bombshell verdict Monday, Le Pen, who is the leader of France’s far-right National Rally party, was found guilty of embezzling European Parliament funds and barred from running for office for five years. The decision means she will likely be unable to run for French president in 2027.
“She was banned for five years and she was the leading candidate,” Trump said, referring to Le Pen’s status as the front-runner in polling ahead of the French presidential election. “That sounds like this country, that sounds very much like this country,” he added.
Earlier, a United States official, asked about the court decision, said it is “concerning” when people are excluded from politics.
Asked about the guilty verdict and sentence, State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce told reporters the American foreign policy department was “aware of reports regarding her sentencing.”
“Exclusion of people from the political process is particularly concerning given the aggressive and corrupt lawfare waged against President [Donald] Trump here in the United States,” Bruce said, declining to comment specifically on Le Pen’s case.
Bruce did, though, say she “might disagree with” a reporter’s description of the French politician as “a far-right individual.”
“I don’t know if that’s meant to be derogatory,” she said.
Discussion about this post