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Morning opening: Welcome to the new normal
Jakub Krupa
Somewhere between ecstatic posts about the effect of tariffs – leaving markets in turmoil with losses in trillions of dollars …
and about $5m Trump golden card for wealthy immigrants looking to move to the US…
the US president, Donald Trump, took a moment last night to use his social media channels to offer his full backing for the French far-right leader Marine Le Pen.
In a post on Truth Social, he said:
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.
…
I don’t know Marine Le Pen, but do appreciate 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. It is all so bad for France, and the Great French People, no matter what side they are on. FREE MARINE LE PEN!
To avoid any doubt:
Marine Le Pen was this week found guilty of the embezzlement of European parliamentary funds through a fake jobs scam of an unprecedented scale and duration.
No, she is not in prison; if anything, she could continue a long tradition among French politicians and get an electronic tag. And the court was very clear that it wasn’t just a “book-keeping” error.
Not that any of this mattered to Trump.
His comments targeting the French judiciary and fuelling Le Pen’s narrative come at a time of growing tensions with the US, after signs that even president Emmanuel Macron, who previously tried to position himself as a European Trump whisperer, is losing patience with the US president over the succession of crises in foreign, defence and economic policy.
Visibly frustrated, he went as far yesterday as to suggest that French companies should review and suspend their investments in the US until there is more clarity about US tariffs.
Trump’s comments also come at the opportune moment for the far-right, ahead of a “completely peaceful” rally in Paris on Sunday aimed at showing the support for the politician convicted of embezzling EU funds.
Le Pen will speak at the event alongside her ally – and potential stand-in for the 2027 presidential race – Jordan Bardella as well as mayor of “the laboratory for the far right” Perpignan Louis Aliot and Éric Ciotti.
A part of the French left is preparing a counter demonstration, too. Sounds like a lovely lively spring weekend in Paris.
Meanwhile, the presiding judge in her case, Bénédicte de Perthuis, an expert in financial crime, is receiving protection, including increased patrols and regular rounds around her home, after receiving threats, a source close to the case told AFP.
With the appeal court looking to fast-track Le Pen’s appeal so that a verdict could come in mid-2026, early enough to allow her to take part in the 2027 vote if she is successful, this story is set to feature prominently in the French politics for the foreseeable future.
Welcome to the new normal.
But at least it’s Friday, 4 April 2025.
It’s Jakub Krupa here, and this is Europe Live.
Good morning.
