Far-Right France w/ Victor Mallet

From Paris to Washington and Westminster, the far right is no longer on the fringes of politics, it is shaping elections, policy and public debate.

This timely panel brings together some of the sharpest journalists covering the phenomenon to unpack how and why it is happening, and what comes next.

Together, they will connect the dots between the rise of figures such as Nigel Farage, Donald Trump, and the new generation of far-right leaders in Europe – asking whether this is a passing wave or a profound global realignment.

About the book

France’s next presidential election is due by 2027 at the latest; and the far-right Rassemblement National is favoured to win.

Founded by the antisemitic Jean-Marie Le Pen, the RN—previously the Front National—was a fringe entity until daughter Marine took over. She ‘detoxified’ the party, then brought in telegenic young protégé Jordan Bardella as its face in the 2020s. Together, they echo voters’ economic grievances and disgust at French political culture, while blasting ‘mass immigration’ of Muslims and foreign ‘criminals’—all starkly reminiscent of Donald Trump’s strategy in winning the White House. France—central to the European project—is the far right’s next great prize.

In 2024, the RN became the largest party in both the EU Parliament and the French Assembly. In vivid, sharp prose, from the halls of power to the campaign trail, veteran correspondent Victor Mallet explains how the far right won over the country and became a government in waiting—one preparing to transform France, Europe and the world.

About the author

Victor Mallet is an award-winning correspondent who has spent decades reporting from Europe, Africa, the Middle East and Asia for the Financial Times and Reuters. The author of River of Life, River of Death and The Trouble With Tigers, he has interviewed politicians including Marine Le Pen and Emmanuel Macron.