Le Pen to Bardella: France's Nationalist Saga

14 min read        

The National Front party is reshaping the future of France and Europe. The powerful saga of Marine Le Pen, the face of France's nationalist movement, whose family has dominated this ideology, recently selected Jordan Bardella, a tall, charismatic 28-year-old, as her replacement as party leader. His slogan, “THE TIME HAS COME,” signals a potential shift with profound implications for the nation and beyond.

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Within the fortified confines of the National Rally party's Parisian stronghold, a towering poster adorns the stairwell, depicting two figures with arms raised triumphantly, their faces beaming with broad smiles. One is a familiar sight: Marine Le Pen, whose family legacy has defined France's fiercely nationalistic movement for decades. The other is a tall, young man in a dark suit – Jordan Bardella. On the poster are the words, "THE MOMENT HAS ARRIVED.”

National Rally party members, Marine Le Pen and Jordan Bardella. Courtesy of: POLITICO

At the tender age of 28, Bardella's moment may indeed have arrived, carrying profound implications for France's future and that of Europe itself. Handpicked by Le Pen in 2022 as the party's president and her likely successor, Bardella has been traveling France as Le Pen's lead candidate for the European Union's parliamentary elections on June 9. On that pivotal day, approximately 400 million voters across the 27 E.U. nations will choose representatives to the bloc's legislature for a five-year term. This vote could have far-reaching consequences on issues ranging from Russian sanctions to immigration. While a victory would likely still leave Bardella as part of a minority faction in Brussels, with its 720 members hailing from all 27 member countries, his ascent mirrors a steady rightward shift that could radically reshape the political landscape of his nation.

"My generation of patriotic activists represents a generation that will govern, a departure from the past 10, 20, or 30 years," Bardella states. "We will not only emerge victorious in the European elections, but we can also win the next presidential election. This fundamentally alters the trajectory of our future."

As the election date rapidly approached, an air of inevitability hung over France, with the outcome seemingly a foregone conclusion. For months, polls have painted a clear picture: Bardella is poised to deliver a resounding defeat to President Emmanuel Macron's centrist Renaissance party, his popularity skyrocketing as the E.U. campaign gained momentum. 

Marine Le Pen and and French President Emmanuel Macron. Courtesy of: Sky News

A survey in early May revealed that 31.5% of voters supported Bardella among the 16 politicians listed – nearly double the backing for Macron's lead candidate, Valérie Hayer. Another poll showed that 38% of respondents favored Bardella, a figure beating any other politician. Trailing in second place was another hardline nationalist, Marion Maréchal, who happens to be Le Pen's niece.

This groundswell of support is partly fueled by a sense of excitement among the younger voters at the prospect of a politician from their generation. However, many young voters confide to pollsters a general indifference towards politics, a byproduct of years of protests, the seemingly unending war in Ukraine, and soaring inflation. This weariness only deepened in March of 2024, when the government reported a ballooning public deficit of 5.5%, coupled with sluggish growth forecasts.

Bardella has mounted a scathing offensive against Macron, portraying his cabinet as a secret group of globalist elites, beholden to the European Union's order in Brussels at the expense of the French citizenry.

Jordan Bardella is the leader of France's National Rally party. Courtesy of Sky News

Though often muddled or rehashed, this message has struck a chord with many, as crowds of fans clamor for selfies with Bardella at his campaign stops. "Jordan, je t'aime!" one woman repeatedly yelled during his election speech in northern France in late March; when Bardella posted the video on his TikTok feed, several of his 1.2 million followers echoed similar sentiments, showering the post with hearts and kissing emojis.

While serious talk of Bardella ascending to the French presidency remains premature, for now his anticipated victory in June and charm offensive targeting youth and traditional conservative voters alike could significantly boost Le Pen's fourth presidential bid in 2027.

Bardella's youth is a distinct advantage, as young politicians tend to enjoy widespread popularity. Just look at Macron: He, too, was young, only seven years ago.

In January of 2024, deeply troubled by the surging far-right tide, Macron appointed France's youngest-ever Prime Minister, the 34-year-old Gabriel Attal, who previously served as his Education Minister. Appointing a young and dynamic Prime Minister to counter Bardella's rise was certainly a factor. This move has ignited a fierce battle between two millennial protégés, each harboring starkly divergent visions for Europe's future: Macron's steadfast commitment to the E.U.'s borderless common market, coupled with a dedication to social justice and climate action; or Le Pen's anti-immigrant, France First protectionism. She cheered Donald Trump's 2016 presidential victory as a triumph for European politicians of her type.

For Macron, haunted by the specter of his achievements being undone upon his departure in 2027, the threat posed by Bardella looms large. After all, Macron himself swept to power at the tender age of 39 in 2017, smashing seasoned politicians in his inaugural electoral race; he secured re-election in 2022 and is barred from seeking a third term.

For years, Macron has cautioned voters against the perils of a Bardella-like phenomenon – a hard-right politician capable of inflicting grievous harm upon Europe. For this reason, he by passed the customary French national anthem at his first election-night victory rally in 2017, opting instead for the E.U.'s anthem, "Ode to Joy." "If you shy away from Europe, you will be consumed by the extremes, Macron stated after his 2017 triumph, for they harbor no such reservations about their anti-European sentiments.”

The prospect of a populist backlash against the E.U. seems more plausible now than in 2017, when Le Pen's party held eight seats in the French parliament; in 2022, she secured 89 seats.

Bardella conveys that Marine, commands formidable legitimacy today, and her influence continues to grow, noting her increasing vote share across three presidential bids. "The ideas I represent, and that we represent, are becoming the mainstream," Jordan declares.

A new generation is emerging, one that seems increasingly unfazed by the specter of hardline nationalist politics, as memories of the party's more overtly racist rhetoric begin to fade. This change is increasingly viewed as just another party among the youth. When asked if voters still harbor fears of the stigma associated with supporting the far right, Bardella's response is unequivocal: "It’s vanishing."

The same could be said for other E.U. nations. In a marked shift, several countries have ushered in anti-immigrant nationalists, including:

·       Italy's Prime Minister Georgia Meloni

·       The Netherlands' far-right, anti-Muslim firebrand Geert Wilders, who stunned Europeans by clinching the parliamentary elections last November. 

·       Despite deep opposition from E.U. leaders over his anti-LGBTQ, Kremlin-friendly policies, Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has secured successive electoral triumphs over the past 14 years, partly through gerrymandering constituencies and manipulating voting laws.

 "The political landscape in Europe has transformed," Jordan declares, describing the groundswell of support. "The desire is to forge a Europe of nations that respects national identities."

Compared to Marine Le Pen, who hails from the affluent western suburbs of Paris, Bardella's beginnings were far more humble. The sole child of a single mother, Bardella spent his formative years in a public housing project outside Paris, in the impoverished district of 
 Saint-Denis, a locale that, according to government statistics, ranks among France's most deprived and is home to sizable communities of African immigrants.

As Bardella recounts it, his childhood experiences profoundly molded his political convictions. Jordon harbored these beliefs because he grew up confronted with violence, insecurity, and in an environment of profound modesty and precariousness. He joined the party at 16, imploring his mother for weeks to grant parental consent for his membership. 

Formerly known as the National Front, the group was founded in 1967 by Le Pen's 
 father, Jean-Marie Le Pen, and captured support through racially charged 
 rabble-rousing. The elder Le Pen has been repeatedly convicted on charges of anti-Semitism. Marine Le Pen, now 55, has lost three presidential bids since 2012, two of them to Macron, and has endeavored to soften the party's image by expelling her father.

Bardella has faithfully embraced Le Pen's hardline anti-immigrant stance. At an election rally in northern France on March 22, he admonished the crowd: "We must never lower our guard against the relentless rise of Islamic ideology." And yet, by his dimpled smile and easy laugh alone, he seems to represent a more palatable departure from the past.

If Le Pen were to ascend to the presidency, it would trigger a political earthquake across Europe. The deeply anti-E.U. far-right would then wield immense authority over Europe's second-largest economy, a key NATO member and nuclear power, and a permanent member of the U.N. Security Council.

For Bardella, that fateful election, still three years away, cannot come soon enough. "Life is beautiful, but it will be even more so in 2027," he wrote on TikTok in March, accompanied by a photo of him and Le Pen in a warm embrace.

For Bardella, the pressing task is to galvanize the youth vote, tapping into their anxieties over job prospects, financial security, and a pervasive sense that France is losing its distinct identity. A February poll revealed that voters aged 18-24 were primarily concerned with the soaring cost of living and placed slightly more trust in Bardella than other politicians.

On the campaign trail, this has translated into Bardella attributing some of these economic challenges to immigration. "We've endured successive waves of immigrants from countries that do not share our customs, culture, language, traditions, or conceptions of women's rights," Jordan once said, citing a local official in Nice who believes many crimes there were committed by foreigners. 

Rather than the borderless E.U. rights afforded to its 450 million citizens, Bardella proposes granting French nationals’ preferential treatment for jobs, housing, and social benefits. While he opposes France withdrawing from the E.U. akin to Brexit – having witnessed voters resoundingly reject such a notion when Le Pen championed it some 15 years ago – he asserts, "We want Europe, but not as a shackle. I want to build the Europe of the 21st century."

Yet Europe would undergo radical transformation if Bardella's plans were to be implemented, including the erection of internal borders to restrict the movement of non-Europeans. He stated "A Syrian who arrives in Italy and obtains a residence permit should not be able to travel freely throughout the E.U. countries.”

For hours at the fair, Bardella walked through the crowds, telling farmers that Macron's government was driving them out of business, while pausing every few seconds to pose for selfies. "I'm leaning towards supporting him," said a farmer from the Normandy region. "I'm deeply disappointed with everything transpiring under the president. Bardella represents a fresh face, and he's young."

As Bardella navigated the crowds, a chant began to swell across the hall: "Jordan, president! Jordan, president!" Bardella smiled silently and kept moving. [1992 words]

Footnote As of this recording the European Parliament election results came in:

Far-right parties were projected to win a record number of seats in the European Parliament following three days of voting across the EU’s 27 member states. French President Emmanuel Macron dissolved his country’s parliament and called snap elections in two rounds, for June 30 and July 7 of 2024,  after an EU exit poll showed a historic surge for the French far right. 

Exit polls also showed gains for far-right parties in Germany and Austria, among others, though the mainstream center-right European People’s Party is predicted to remain the most prominent political grouping in Brussels. The vote will shape the political direction of the bloc at a pivotal moment for the EU, which is grappling with issues ranging from the wars in Ukraine and Gaza to immigration and climate change.

What can we learn from this story? What's the takeaway?

The recent election results massively disrupted politics in several European countries, as gains from previously fringe groups became impossible for some leaders to ignore.

French President Emmanuel Macron called a stunning snap election on Sunday after his party was trounced by Marine Le Pen’s far-right National Rally (RN).

Change is coming to Europe, not to mention a far-right party takeover in Europe would impact US politics.

As for Jordan Bardella, remember that name.

Well, there you go, my friends; that's life, I swear

For further information regarding the material covered in this episode, I invite you to visit my website, which you can find on Apple Podcasts, for show notes and the episode transcript.

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