Marine Le Pen, leader of the Rassemblement national, stated that taxing TotalEnergies' superprofits would be necessary if the fuel price cap does not sufficiently protect French purchasing power. TotalEnergies is currently capping unleaded gasoline at 1.99 euros per liter and diesel at 2.09 euros. This measure aims to counter price rises caused by the war in the Middle East.
On Saturday, May 2, 2026, during a walk at the Sens fair in the Yonne department, Marine Le Pen commented on TotalEnergies' initiative. "Total eux-mêmes se rendent compte qu'il faut qu'ils fassent cet effort et ils ont donc décidé de plafonner leurs prix. Moi, la seule chose que je souhaite, c'est que ça bénéficie au pouvoir d'achat des Français et après on fera les comptes," she stated.
She added: "Entre la proposition que nous avons faite (la taxation) et le fait qu'ils plafonnent les prix, nous verrons si effectivement ça correspond à la contribution que nous souhaitons obtenir." Marine Le Pen denied engaging in "Total bashing," calling the company a "champion national" of which "on est très fier."
Last Wednesday, she had deemed it "normal" to tax TotalEnergies' superprofits, which saw net profits jump 51% in the first quarter due to price hikes from the Middle East war. RN president Jordan Bardella had stated that such a tax was "not the priority."
Marine Le Pen reaffirmed no economic divergences within RN with Bardella. She renewed her call to cut fuel taxes, proposing a VAT reduction from 20% to 5.5%. In Sens, she was greeted by supporters but also a hostile demonstration demanding her court appearance.
