Jordan Bardella flew to America last week on a trip he had long boasted about. The president of the National Rally – and all his party – had been a little put out that the only French politicians invited to Donald Trump’s inauguration were Eric Zemmour and Sarah Knafo of the right-wing Reconquest.
It was with relish, then, that Bardella boarded a flight to Washington to attend the annual Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC). Here was his party’s chance to announce itself to America, while rubbing shoulders with the representatives of the new zeitgeist: JD Vance, Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico, Giorgia Meloni, Argentine President Javier Milei, Blighty’s own Nigel Farage, and of course, the man himself, Donald J. Trump. Only, Bardella never took to the stage. He cancelled his appearance and flew back to France, accompanied by hoots of derision from many American conservatives.
Increasingly, it’s hard to know what exactly Le Pen or her party stands for
It all went wrong for Bardella when Steve Bannon, Trump’s former strategist, addressed the audience on Thursday evening.
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