Marine Le Pen’s dual strategy: moderate at home, confrontational in Europe

Marine Le Pen, leader of France's far-right National Rally (RN), met with European far-right allies in Brussels on Wednesday, displaying open euroscepticism and a confrontational stance toward the EU, in contrast to her more moderate image at home. She proposes drastically cutting France's EU budget contribution if elected president next year. Le Pen's strategy of "dediabolisation" (de-demonization) over the past 15 years has made her party appear credible in France, where she leads in polls. However, her European platform remains radical, including unilateral budget cuts of over €11 billion in 2027, a position experts say would isolate France and risk crisis. Analysts note Le Pen's approach contrasts with Italian PM Giorgia Meloni's pragmatic EU engagement. While Le Pen's program retains racist and xenophobic elements like "national preference," French public opinion has not penalized her for policy inconsistencies, as seen after recent antisemitic messages by Jordan Bardella.