Jordan Bardella wants to put out the fire. When questioned this Friday about rumors of tension with Marine Le Pen , the president of the National Rally denounced "false information" and a "lie." Seven months before the presidential election, several programmatic and strategic differences between the two leading figures of the National Rally have nevertheless fueled speculation in recent weeks.
“Our unity is the key and the reason why we will succeed in the presidential and legislative elections,” Jordan Bardella asserted during a visit to Loire-Atlantique . “Things are going very well. If some are expecting proof of disloyalty from me during this extremely difficult period for the country, they don't know me very well,” he added. To reinforce his message, the president of the National Rally announced that he would be in Hénin-Beaumont on Sunday to attend Marine Le Pen's back-to-school speech.
Sailing, pensions, Farage: several dissonances
However, the rumors didn't come out of nowhere. The National Rally's return to politics was marked by several differences in tone between the two leaders. On the ban on the Islamic veil in public spaces, a measure championed by Marine Le Pen, Jordan Bardella was more reserved and insisted on holding a referendum beforehand. On pensions, he also displayed a more liberal stance, notably advocating for a funded pension system, while Marine Le Pen continues to support a return to a retirement age of 62, or even 60 in certain situations.
More recently, the agreement signed between Jordan Bardella and Nigel Farage on illegal immigration has caused another embarrassing episode. The text notably includes a mechanism allowing the United Kingdom to return certain migrants arriving in small boats to France. This provision appeared to contradict the position historically defended by Marine Le Pen , who opposes France taking back migrants who have crossed the Channel.
Bardella assures that he will not be "disloyal".
Another episode fueled speculation: the departure of François Durvye, former economic advisor to Jordan Bardella. According to several press reports, he had encouraged the RN president to consider his own candidacy should Marine Le Pen be unable to run, provoking her anger. Bardella, for his part, presented his departure as a personal decision.
Faced with these accumulating events, Jordan Bardella had already reaffirmed in recent days his "unwavering political and personal affinity" with Marine Le Pen. He is now publicly repeating that there is no rift between them. His presence in Hénin-Beaumont on Sunday will therefore be particularly scrutinized: seven months before the first round, the National Rally wants to project the image of a perfectly united duo despite increasingly divergent political leanings.
