Macronie is promoting the idea of ??a debate between the head of state and the ex-president of the RN before the European elections. A good operation in sight for Marine Le Pen and Jordan Bardella?
A Macron-Le Pen debate before the European elections? The idea has been discussed for several weeks within the president’s entourage, assures La Tribune Dimanche. But according to Jordan Bardella, no proposal has yet been made to the former president of the National Rally. Marine Le Pen, in a statement sent to the press on Sunday evening, judged that such a confrontation would be “very useful”… before postponing it until September. Tuesday morning, however, her foal affirmed on RTL that she would respond if invited, even before June 9.
In theory, there is no question of siding with the RN. But does the party have reason to want such a debate? In many respects, yes: reestablishing the Macron-Le Pen duel will be an opportunity to nationalize the issues of this European campaign. This is also the condition that was set: “Marine Le Pen indicated that she was available and willing to debate with the President of the Republic, a little more broadly than on European issues”, recalled the MEP on RTL. The RN MP wrote on Sunday evening that she was ready to debate with Emmanuel Macron “on what he intends to do with the three long years that remain to him”.
Jordan Bardella repeated it this Tuesday, “June 9 is a referendum for or against Macron’s Europe.” A debate between the head of state and the head of the first opposition group would therefore have the advantage of presenting the RN as the only alternative to Macronie. But the strategy promises to be even more beneficial for the Macronist camp: by once again imposing Macron as the sole bulwark against the far right, this debate would eclipse the candidacy of Raphaël Glucksmann, who directly threatens Valérie Hayer’s second place in these Europeans.
Does the RN not ultimately risk playing into the hands of its adversary without strengthening its own? Or even lose a few feathers? Remember that the two previous Macron-Le Pen debates left a bitter taste in Jordan Bardella’s party: in 2017 as in 2022, the presidential candidate was roughly pushed back to her limits by her opponent. Will she take the risk of tainting Bardella’s explosive campaign? Moreover, holding such a debate would threaten to eclipse the importance of another highly anticipated duel: “It turns out that one of the highlights of this democratic confrontation with the presidential majority will be the debate which will oppose Gabriel Attal in a few days,” Jordan Bardella reminded Tuesday.
Will Marine Le Pen come to overshadow her foal, while he is doing brilliantly on his own, according to the polls? If the executive insists, she will respond, Bardella seems to affirm. But to choose, she will surely prefer to wait until September.
