1 day Ago By Jeff Mason and Kanishka Singh
US President Donald Trump says French far-right leader Marine Le Pen's conviction and resulting prohibition from running in the 2027 presidential election is a "very big deal". Login or signup to continue reading A French court on Monday barred Le Pen from running in the 2027 presidential election after she was convicted of embezzlement. "That's a very big deal," Trump told reporters at the White House on Monday evening when asked about that conviction.
Rights advocates have drawn comparisons over the years between Le Pen and Trump over what their anti-immigration views and charged rhetoric against minorities. The French court's ruling was a setback for Le Pen, 56. The National Rally (RN) party chief is one of the most prominent figures of the European far right, and a front-runner in polls for France's 2027 contest.
"I know all about it, and a lot of people thought she wasn't going to be convicted of anything," Trump said. "But she was banned for running for five years, and she's the leading candidate. That sounds like this country, that sounds very much like this country," Trump said, in an apparent reference to legal cases that Trump himself faced before he took office.
Trump was indicted over covering up a hush money payment to porn star Stormy Daniels over attempts to overturn the results of the 2020 election that he lost and over retention of classified documents after his first term ended. He was convicted in the hush money case. He denied wrongdoing in all cases that he called politically motivated.
Federal charges against him were dropped following his 2024 election win. Australian Associated Press DAILY Today's top stories curated by our news team. Also includes evening update.
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