Théo Aiolfi is a junior professor at the Université Bourgogne Europe. He is the author of The Populist Style.
Left populists across Europe have sometimes dampened their internationalism in an effort to reach broader audiences. This has produced little in the way of electoral success and often meant giving up a necessary fight against xenophobia.
Marine Le Pen is often credited with mainstreaming her far-right party. But it isn’t just that she’s moderated its positions — it’s that the radicalization of establishment conservatives has made her seem less extreme by comparison.
Éric Zemmour’s presidential campaign didn’t go well — but it helped Marine Le Pen project a moderate image, including by denouncing his Nazi supporters. Far from a spoiler, Zemmour helped to shepherd traditional right-wing voters to her.
For years, Marine Le Pen has sought to break out of the far-right ghetto by pursuing a “populist popular front” beyond Left and Right. Today, her chosen reactionary themes have become mainstream — and she stands closer than ever to winning the presidency.