Elon Musk, Donald Trump defend Marine Le Pen after conviction bars her from 2027 election

US President Donald Trump and Elon Musk publicly expressed their disapproval after French authorities convicted National Rally Party leader Marine Le Pen of financial crimes. The verdict targeting Marine Le Pen for embezzlement activity led to her prohibition from running for the 2027 French presidential election, which generated an intense political maelstrom.

Donald Trump and Elon Musk condemn court ruling

Trump labeled the decision "a very big deal because Le Pen maintained her position as the most popular candidate.” Trump evaluated his own American legal experience against her case and was surprised since many people had anticipated her acquittal.

Elon Musk joined Trump in criticizing this court decision since he claimed the left uses legal mechanisms to silence their political rivals. Worldwide, Le Pen's supporters predict that this ruling will turn out to be futile, according to this controversial opinion. From his platform, Musk has continuously supported European far-right movements while viewing this decision as an offense against democratic principles.


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Le Pen vows appeal after conviction

The court decision, which barred Le Pen from running for president, triggered her response through which she portrayed it as a deliberate attempt aimed at expelling her from candidacy. From her French television appearance, Le Pen declared that millions of residents shared her outrage and promised an appeal of the judgment. She asserted that the court order violated democratic standards while expecting the appeal to make conclusions by the 2027 voting dates.

A French court convicted Le Pen, together with 24 members of the National Rally, for using European parliamentary funds to pay their employees during 12 years. The legislative duties of her office as MP will remain while she needs to step down from her position in Pas-de-Calais, and she is officially disqualified from local and legislative elections. The court passed separate penalties to the National Rally party of €2 million, plus fines totaling €100,000 to Le Pen along with her four-year imprisonment term.

European right rallies behind Le Pen

The imprisonment verdict has unleashed widespread backing for Le Pen from numerous European right-wing political leaders. Through his online media activities, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán declared his solidarity with Marine Le Pen by using the phrase "Je suis Marine," and League leader Matteo Salvini from Italy posted a picture of himself and Le Pen with "I back Marine" written beneath. Dutch nationalist Geert Wilders denounced the court decision as extremely tough while expressing his belief that Marine Le Pen would ultimately become France's leader.

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The French center-left politicians, along with left-wing politicians, supported the court decision by emphasizing judicial integrity. Valérie Hayer, as chair of Renew Europe, emphasized that justice had been executed, but socialist MEP Chloé Ridel cautioned against anti-judicial speeches, which she called perilous.

FAQ:

1. Why was Marine Le Pen convicted?
   Le Pen was found guilty of misusing European Parliament funds to pay party employees over 12 years.
   
2. Can Le Pen still run in the 2027 French presidential election?
   No, unless her appeal overturns the conviction, she remains barred from running.