Xavier Bertrand Plays Identity Politics Ahead of 2027 Race
French regional leader Xavier Bertrand faced backlash after claiming France has become difficult for Muslims, Jews, non-whites, and those with non-traditional names during a presidential campaign interview.
Xavier Bertrand, the Les Républicains president of the Hauts-de-France region, made the controversial remarks during a television appearance on Sunday, June 14, as Valeurs Actuelles reports. While discussing his preparations for the 2027 presidential race, Bertrand argued that the next French leader must prioritize restoring national unity.
During his interview on BFMTV, Bertrand explained that he has been traveling across France without media accompaniment to test his ideas with ordinary citizens. He cited meetings with workers, single mothers in Les Mureaux, and business leaders. According to Bertrand, a presidential program alone is no longer sufficient, and France faces a crisis of national cohesion that must be addressed.
It was in this context that Bertrand delivered the statement that immediately went viral on social media. The Les Républicains official claimed it has become difficult to live in France if you are Muslim, Jewish, not white, or if your first name does not appear on the Gregorian calendar. He added to this list French citizens who feel invisible or forgotten, before pledging that anyone who respects the law and the Republic must themselves be respected.
Chirac Legacy Versus Retailleau
The remarks fit into a political positioning Bertrand has attempted to establish in recent months: a right wing focused on order but also reconciliation, which he explicitly ties to the legacy of former president Jacques Chirac. During the BFMTV appearance, he contrasted this republican right with that of Bruno Retailleau, who was designated by Les Républicains party members as their official candidate for 2027.
Bertrand drew a sharp line between the two men, deepening an already significant rift within the conservative party.
Swift and Scathing Response
The statement did not go unnoticed. On X, the Fdesouche account quickly isolated the video clip, triggering an avalanche of commentary. Multiple users mocked the reference to the Gregorian calendar, viewing the phrasing as awkward or confusing. Journalist Géraldine Woessner summed up the bewilderment with a terse response questioning what Bertrand was talking about.
On the right, activist accounts denounced what they characterized as identity-based self-flagellation, viewing it as an outdated attempt at political repositioning that is out of step with conservative voter concerns. Philippe Vardon, a figure from the identitarian movement close to Marion Maréchal, also ridiculed the former minister, saying he would welcome Bertrand as a candidate in order to measure electoral support for such rhetoric.
Other accounts favorable to the Rassemblement National or right-wing unity presented Bertrand as the ideal opponent for Marine Le Pen and Jordan Bardella, precisely because he would represent a moderate right unable to address issues of immigration and insecurity.
An Unwanted Unifier
Bertrand had sought to speak about national unity and build a coalition around himself ahead of 2027. Instead, he appears to have unified opposition against him. The former minister now openly admits he is preparing for the presidential race, though he has stopped short of formally declaring his candidacy.
His attempt to position himself as a reconciler appears to have backfired spectacularly among the very conservative base he would need to win over in a crowded primary field. The episode underscores the deep divisions within the French right over identity, immigration, and what it means to be a conservative party in contemporary France.
With information from Valeurs Actuelles
