“The National Rally is not up for sale to the highest Macronist bidder, unlike [the conservative] Les Républicains and the Socialists,” Bardella emphasized on stage. “We are not like them.”
On Saturday, Lecornu expressed his intention to reach out to moderate groups on the left during an in-depth interview with local newspapers, extending several overtures and ruling out “a political deal” with the National Rally.
In private, Le Pen and her top aides have compared a potential agreement between Macron’s camp and the Socialists to a mutual downfall.
While the far-right leader has refrained from calling for the French president’s resignation, on Sunday the crowd chanted “Macron, démission,” seemingly inspired by Bardella and others in the party’s leadership, who are urging the president to resign — something he has consistently dismissed.
This poses a potential challenge for Le Pen, who is currently prohibited from running in an election due to embezzlement charges — which she denies — and is set for an appeal trial in January to overturn the verdict.
To her supporters’ delight, she clearly stated on stage that she was not going anywhere. The far-right leader returned from the summer with a determined stance, being quick to oppose the outgoing prime minister more rapidly than expected, and energizing her supporters ahead of the local elections in March.
“I am a determined, stubborn, combative woman, and I am not going to apologize for it.”
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