President Donald Trump and State Department officials denounce France’s disqualification of Marine Le Pen from political office, citing concerns over democratic integrity.

By yourNEWS Media Newsroom

President Donald Trump and the U.S. State Department issued sharp rebukes this week following a French court’s ruling that bars National Rally leader Marine Le Pen from running for office for five years and sentences her to four years in prison, two of which are suspended. The judgment, based on allegations of embezzlement involving European Union funds, effectively prevents Le Pen—the leading contender in the 2027 presidential election—from participating unless her appeal overturns the ruling.

The court ruling follows a trial that spanned four months, during which prosecutors alleged Le Pen and members of her party misused funds allocated for EU parliamentary assistants to finance political activity inside France. According to Le Monde, the case centered on how National Rally operated during Le Pen’s tenure in the European Parliament. Le Pen has rejected the charges, calling them politically motivated, and has pledged to appeal.

State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce publicly criticized the ruling on Monday, voicing concern about its impact on France’s democratic process and drawing a direct comparison to legal actions against President Trump in the United States. “Exclusion of people from the political process is particularly concerning, given the aggressive and corrupt lawfare waged against President Trump here in the United States. We support the right of everyone to offer their views in the public square, agree or disagree,” Bruce said.

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Bruce also rejected labeling Le Pen as “far-right,” and emphasized the need for Western democracies to act in accordance with the values they promote. “We’ve got to do more as the West than just talk about democratic values. We must live them,” she added.

She referred to an earlier address by Vice President J.D. Vance at the Munich Security Conference, where he admonished European governments for stifling political competition. “Democracy rests on the sacred principle that the voice of the people matters. There is no room for firewalls. You either uphold the principle or you don’t,” Vance said.

President Trump echoed those sentiments during remarks delivered Monday from the White House during the signing of an executive order targeting ticket scalping practices. “She was banned for five years and she was the leading candidate,” Trump said. “That sounds like this country, that sounds very much like this country,” he added, referencing his own legal battles which he has characterized as election interference.

Trump supporters and conservative commentators have noted the similarities between the legal efforts to block Le Pen’s candidacy and ongoing legal actions against Trump in the U.S., describing both as politically motivated lawfare designed to eliminate populist leaders from the ballot.

In her response to the ruling, Le Pen declared the sentence an affront to democratic principles and pledged to fight through the appeals process. Should her appeal fail, she faces a four-year sentence with two years suspended and the remainder served under house arrest. The five-year ban from office, however, would remain in effect through the 2027 presidential race, unless reversed.

Bruce’s comments were amplified on social media, where she stated: “US condemns the exclusion of Le Pen from the political process and urges the European countries to uphold free speech and freedom in the political process.” Source

With mounting criticism from U.S. officials and Le Pen’s declaration to fight the ruling, France now faces scrutiny over whether judicial action is being used to limit the electorate’s choices in a key democratic contest.