France pushes back against MAGA political meddling

"The Trump administration has been active behind the scenes too, something that Magali Lafourcade, a French magistrate and also the secretary general of France's human rights commission (CNCDH), became convinced of last year. On April 28, 2025, she raised the alarm about foreign interference with the French Foreign Ministry. Experts say the episode makes clear the extent to which France is in the sights of the US."

"It quickly became clear that they wanted information about the trial against Marine Le Pen. According to the US diplomats, the verdict was politically motivated because Le Pen was in the opposition against President Emmanuel Macron. I said that she had been convicted of corruption after a thorough 10-year investigation and it was not unusual to be barred on grounds of ineligibility."

"The document suggests that there is a real risk of Europe facing 'civilizational erasure' because of its migration policies and also states that the 'growing influence of patriotic European parties indeed gives cause for great optimism.' The Trump administration has been active behind the scenes too."

The Trump administration has officially expressed support for far-right European political movements through its December 2025 National Security Strategy, which characterizes 'patriotic European parties' positively while warning of Europe's 'civilizational erasure' due to migration policies. Beyond public statements, US officials have engaged in behind-the-scenes activities, including meetings with members of France's far-right Rassemblement National party. French magistrate Magali Lafourcade reported to the Foreign Ministry that US State Department representatives sought information about Marine Le Pen's embezzlement trial, suggesting the verdict was politically motivated. Lafourcade clarified that Le Pen's conviction resulted from a thorough decade-long investigation and that ineligibility rulings are standard judicial practice.

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