Jordan Bardella, president of the Rassemblement national (RN), stated on CNews Tuesday evening that Jean-Luc Mélenchon cannot become president in 2027 due to a lack of self-control. He accuses the La France insoumise (LFI) leader of constantly insulting opponents. The remarks follow Mélenchon's fourth candidacy bid for the Élysée.
Appearing on CNews Tuesday evening, Jordan Bardella deemed Jean-Luc Mélenchon 'disqualified from rallying a majority of French people.' He argued the LFI leader 'erupts and insults everyone constantly,' lacking the 'self-control' vital for the presidency.
Bardella elaborated: 'When one erupts, insults everyone non-stop, criminalizes those who disagree, defends disarming the republican police, supports the CCIF—the arm of the Muslim Brotherhood in France—, and has people from the Jeune garde around who beat, lynch, and kill in France's streets, then one is discredited from uniting a majority of French people and calming tensions.'
Despite the barbs, Bardella acknowledged Mélenchon's strengths: 'He has his party, his vision of society which I contest, but he has the intelligence to wield words, language, to campaign, to rewrite France's history.' He urged him to stop insulting opponents.
The comments come amid the 2027 precampaign. Mélenchon declared his fourth Élysée bid Sunday, naming the RN as main foe. Polls project Bardella crushing Mélenchon in a runoff, with under 30 percent for the insurgent. Marine Le Pen favors a clash with a centrist bloc, like Édouard Philippe. A court of appeal ruling on her potential ineligibility is due July 7.