Le Pen and Trump

Coincidentally, it seems, America and France are falling in the same electoral quandary. In America, a stubborn Biden and a relentless Trump brought it upon us, while Macron’s lack of self-criticism and stupid decision of dissolving the French National Assembly inflicted a similar dilemma upon his folks. At the same time, the MAGA, or Trumpist movement, and the “Union Nationale” are political parties cut in the same cloth of lies, misrepresentation and plans for rolling out a form of ultra-right dictatorship into both countries. 

The similarities between Marine Le Pen and Donald Trump are hard to ignore. Like the US President, the far-right candidate for president of France is running a campaign fueled largely by immigrants’ dislike and fear of Muslims. Like Trump, she is positioned as an outsider who will upend a corrupt, inept system that has misled its populace for too long. 

Along the same lines, while Le Pen and Trump both position themselves as the voice of the “little guys”, neither have ever walked one single day in the shoes of the average person they’re targeting. Trump was born with a silver spoon in his mouth and got all from his Dad, while Le Pen grew up at a chateau’s bequeathed to her by her fascist father. Just like Trump, Le Pen and her father are said to have used financial tricks to avoid paying taxes, including allegedly under-reporting their fortune by 60 percent. 

Le Pen loves to draw a parallel between herself and the man who seized the presidency of the US in 2016. Shortly after the US election, she was spotted around Trump Tower looking for her new mentor, while Trump responded to her flattery by calling her the “strongest” French candidate. 

Both also love Putin. Le Pen holds him as well as his banks in the highest regard. Le Pen has met with Putin advocating views that help Russia at Europe’s expense. In the past, she vowed to pull France out of NATO, Earlier on, Le Pen also called for an end to the sanctions imposed by the European Union on Russia for its annexation of Crimea, dubbing the sanctions “unfair and silly.” 

 The positive thing going for Marine is that she’s a wolf in sheep’s clothing. She appears as a motherly “light” version of her Dad’s dictatorial demeanor and has passed as an inoffensive mother figure to my countrymen and women. Since we’ve lived four years under Trump’s thumb, plus six years of non-stop campaigning, we are well positioned to have watched the hatching of the Trump dictatorship that was about to take place on January 6, 2021. 

Marine has what it takes to do the same, but much more softly and successfully after watching some of Trump’s mistakes. My dear french friends, time is running out, you must now vote with your heads during the upcoming legislative elections!