France’s most powerful conservative, right-wing political party has had a transformative leader since 2022, who could be their candidate in next year’s presidential elections. However, if Jordan Bardella becomes France’s next president, he won’t be Donald Trump’s ally in Europe. The 30-year-old leader of the National Rally has recently been working to create distance between his political movement and the United States president he once openly admired.
In an exclusive interview with POLITICO, the French politician characterized the American president’s behavior as being “not only erratic but also extremely unsteady and constantly shifting.” When asked how he currently views Trump, Bardella noted that it changes frequently, stating, “It depends on the day. There’s a Monday attitude, a Tuesday attitude, a Wednesday attitude.”
This shift is particularly striking given that in March 2024, Bardella told the same publication that his “heart leans toward Trump,” and as recently as December 2025, he reportedly spoke of the president on French television with a soft laugh, asking, “Where does he get all this energy?” Now, when POLITICO asked him if he’d seek an endorsement, his response was diplomatic and firm, stating that it’s about the French people.
Bardella is not alone in this pivot
According to an analysis by the Financial Review, right-wing figures across the continent are increasingly distancing themselves from the American administration. These political figures often share similar rhetoric regarding immigration and national identity. However, many have reached a breaking point, pushing against and even condemning Trump’s approach to trade, European security, and the economic shockwaves resulting from conflicts like the war in Iran.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, once dubbed the Trump whisperer, for one, criticized the president’s policies on tariffs, with Bloomberg noting that she called EU tariffs a “mistake.” In Germany, the AfD’s co-leader Tino Chrupalla, per Financial Review, described recent American international interventions as “wild west” thinking.
Additionally, El Pais reported that Chrupalla called the US-Israeli war in the Middle East “contrary to International Law,” while declaring that AfD was a “party of Peace.” Reuters also wrote that Chrupalla said, “Donald Trump started out as a peace president – he will end up as a war president.” In the United Kingdom, Reform UK leader Nigel Farage has now downplayed his relationship with Trump, stating, “I happen to know him, but that’s by the by.”
The National Rally leader explicitly rejected the possibility of an endorsement from the president, who has previously attempted to influence elections in countries like Hungary, Poland, and Argentina by backing candidates who align with his politics. Per POLITICO, Bardella emphasized that his focus remains entirely on domestic support.
“The support we’re seeking with Marine Le Pen is that of the French people, the support of French voters,” he said. “We don’t need to accept or open the door to any form of interference.”
According to the outlet, Le Pen, the daughter of the party’s founder, is the party’s first choice, but the same embezzlement charges that made him party leader may prevent her from running. Under Bardella’s leadership and TikTok popularity, he has transformed the party from a political outcast to France’s most powerful opposition force.
For Bardella, the goal is to position himself and France as a more reliable alternative for the continent. “The Americans are allies, and they will remain so,” he told POLITICO. “But they are allies who no longer intend to come to Europe’s rescue or to remain the umbrella and protector of European countries.”
POLIICO also noted that Bardella remains an anti-immigration hardliner. It may be a position that aligns with the U.S. National Security Strategy released last December, but “the diagnosis regarding the situation of major insecurity and out-of-control migration policy is our own,” he told POLITICO. “I’m not going to tell you otherwise just because foreigners think the same.”
If elected, Bardella would lead Europe’s second-largest economy, its only nuclear power in the European Union, and one of NATO’s most powerful militaries. He envisions France replacing the U.S. as a primary provider of European security or at least as a key supplier of weapons.
He wants to ensure that powers that are bewildered by the American president’s shifting positions can find a backup option in the French defense industry. He also criticized recent U.S.-EU trade deals, labeling them as “economic, financial and industrial vassalization.”
Published: Jun 17, 2026 10:05 am