Le Pen warns of risk of blind alignment with Trump
Marine Le Pen criticized Donald Trump for breaking his foreign policy promises, particularly regarding Iran, and argued that France should prioritize national interests over personal ties with the U.S. president.
- Written by Anne-Laure Dufeal in Brussels Signal
In an interview with France Culture, the leader of the National Rally described Trump as unquestionably the symbol of a form of political will that has become rare in Europe. However, she argued that the U.S. president failed to deliver on his foreign policy promises.
Political will means that, beyond the government, when a politician is elected, they are elected to achieve something and, therefore, have a duty to honor their commitments, Le Pen stated.
When members of the National Rally welcomed some of his speeches, which suggested that the United States was breaking with a form of imperialism, abandoning this desire to impose their model on everyone and ceasing to use — or even abuse — the extraterritorial reach of American law, we were obviously pleased, she said. We believed that, at that time, this was in France’s interest.
Le Pen noted that the war in Iran marked a clear break with this approach.
As it turned out, however, with this war in Iran, he did exactly the opposite of what he had promised in this area, she said.
He did exactly the opposite of what he had promised, she insisted before adding: As for Iran, he solved nothing.
Le Pen further argued that U.S. actions yielded minimal results and claimed that Iran emerged from this episode stronger.
To say that the results are limited would be an understatement. In reality, it seems to me that Iran emerges from this episode certainly stronger than it was before it began, she said.
The French politician also used the interview to defend Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni following a public dispute with Trump. Describing the U.S. president’s remarks as very offensive, Le Pen said she interpreted Meloni’s response as an expression of national pride.
She also rejected the idea that personal disagreements between leaders should determine international relations.
In international affairs, one does not have friends. One has interests, Le Pen said. These interests can be shared or conflicting.
