On Tuesday, November 5th, Le Figaro Magazine revealed excerpts from Jordan Bardella 's book , *Ce que je cherche* (What I'm Looking For ), in which the president of the National Rally (RN) shares his personal journey and political convictions. Through his narrative, Bardella addresses themes dear to the far right, while illustrating his identity and vision for France.
Born into a modest family of Italian migrants, Bardella describes his childhood marked by the choice of his first name, "Jordan," which earned him "mocking smiles" and "condescending remarks." Far from the first names "Arthur" or "François" that he encounters today in the political world, "Jordan" has become for him a symbol of his belonging to the working classes. "It is the identity card of my social class," he explains, claiming his heritage and his attachment to republican meritocracy.
Growing up in the Gabriel-Péri estate in Saint-Denis, Bardella describes a difficult daily life, alongside his mother, a special needs assistant in a nursery school. He evokes an environment of violence, trafficking, and insecurity, recalling how his mother called their neighborhood their own “Bronx.” These memories fuel his discourse on what he considers to be the decline of certain neighborhoods in France, and the abandonment of these areas by the State.
Bardella pays tribute to his grandfather, Guerino, a driller of Italian origin who spent his retirement in Morocco. Bardella would visit him with his father, often hearing his thoughts on the changes in France. “France has changed a lot,” his grandfather would tell him, describing a society he no longer recognized. Bardella uses this nostalgia to highlight a feeling shared, according to him, by a part of the population.
Meeting with Macron: “There are them, and there are us”
One of the book's key moments is Bardella's meeting with Emmanuel Macron at the "Saint-Denis Meetings" in August 2023, organized after the riots of that summer. Bardella recounts being greeted with reserved courtesy by Macron, who ironically notes his participation in a meeting reserved for parties "of the republican arc." According to him, this moment marked the "normalization" of the National Rally (RN) as a credible political force and highlighted the weaknesses of its opponents, even observing that "some leaders were dozing" during the meeting. This meeting, which he describes as an implicit duel with Macron, reinforced his conviction that the RN was opposed to the presidential camp.
Finally, Bardella expressed pride in the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, despite what he saw as ideological deviations in the opening ceremony. However, he applauded the efforts to make Paris look cleaner and safer, while criticizing the “wokism” in the staging, which he said excluded traditional French values. For Bardella, these games served as a reminder of France’s greatness, illustrated by events in iconic locations such as the Eiffel Tower and the Palace of Versailles.
At only 29 years old, Jordan Bardella reveals himself through this book as a spokesperson for the working classes, proud of his origins, and anchored in a vision of a France strong in its traditions and its history.
