'Trump to France: "Free Le Pen"'
US President Donald Trump has accused the French political establishment of using lawfare against right-wing figure Marine Le Pen, urging Paris to “free” her. On Monday, a Paris court sentenced Le Pen to four years in prison and imposed a five-year...
TroibNews 
US President Donald Trump has accused the French political establishment of using lawfare against right-wing figure Marine Le Pen, urging Paris to “free” her.
On Monday, a Paris court sentenced Le Pen to four years in prison and imposed a five-year ban on her eligibility for public office, effectively preventing her from running in the 2027 presidential election.
In a post on Truth Social late Thursday, Trump deemed Le Pen a victim of a “witch hunt.” He claimed that her prosecution was instigated by “European Leftists using Lawfare to silence Free Speech, and censor their Political Opponent.”
He noted, “It is the same ‘playbook’ that was used against me by a group of Lunatics and Losers, like Norm Eisen, Andrew Weissmann, and Lisa Monaco,” referring to attorneys involved in litigation against him since his first term as president. Trump maintains that those legal actions were politically motivated.
Though Trump acknowledged that he did not personally know Le Pen or the details of her case, which he believed stemmed from a “bookkeeping” error, he expressed admiration for her tenacity. He concluded, “It is all so bad for France, and the Great French People, no matter what side they are on. FREE MARINE LE PEN!”
Le Pen and several senior members of her National Rally party were found guilty of misappropriating EU funds intended for supporting European Parliament members for domestic party activities. The offenses occurred between 2004 and 2016, during her leadership of RN.
The ruling has drawn criticism from several foreign political leaders, who view it as a setback for democracy in France. Trump previously stated it was “a very big deal.” Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni argued that the sentence “takes away representation from millions of citizens,” while Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban expressed his support for Le Pen by posting “Je suis Marine!”
Le Pen described the ruling as “political,” contending that it was a decision made by “a lower court judge” that deprived French voters of the chance to support their preferred presidential candidate.
Navid Kalantari for TROIB News
On Monday, a Paris court sentenced Le Pen to four years in prison and imposed a five-year ban on her eligibility for public office, effectively preventing her from running in the 2027 presidential election.
In a post on Truth Social late Thursday, Trump deemed Le Pen a victim of a “witch hunt.” He claimed that her prosecution was instigated by “European Leftists using Lawfare to silence Free Speech, and censor their Political Opponent.”
He noted, “It is the same ‘playbook’ that was used against me by a group of Lunatics and Losers, like Norm Eisen, Andrew Weissmann, and Lisa Monaco,” referring to attorneys involved in litigation against him since his first term as president. Trump maintains that those legal actions were politically motivated.
Though Trump acknowledged that he did not personally know Le Pen or the details of her case, which he believed stemmed from a “bookkeeping” error, he expressed admiration for her tenacity. He concluded, “It is all so bad for France, and the Great French People, no matter what side they are on. FREE MARINE LE PEN!”
Le Pen and several senior members of her National Rally party were found guilty of misappropriating EU funds intended for supporting European Parliament members for domestic party activities. The offenses occurred between 2004 and 2016, during her leadership of RN.
The ruling has drawn criticism from several foreign political leaders, who view it as a setback for democracy in France. Trump previously stated it was “a very big deal.” Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni argued that the sentence “takes away representation from millions of citizens,” while Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban expressed his support for Le Pen by posting “Je suis Marine!”
Le Pen described the ruling as “political,” contending that it was a decision made by “a lower court judge” that deprived French voters of the chance to support their preferred presidential candidate.
Navid Kalantari for TROIB News
