Jordan Bardella: The Rising Star Of France's Far Right

At just 28 years old, Jordan Bardella has propelled the French far-right to a landslide victory, humiliating President Emmanuel Macron’s camp in the European Parliament elections. Bardella, poised to become the next prime minister if Macron’s gamble in the upcoming snap election fails, is the protégé of the far-right doyenne Marine Le Pen.

Bardella, leader of the National Rally party, grew up as an only child in social housing in Seine-Saint-Denis, a working-class suburb northeast of Paris. He joined the far-right party at 16 and briefly attended the prestigious Sorbonne University in Paris before dropping out.

“Like many families and people living in these neighborhoods, I faced violence, and my mother struggled to make ends meet. The sense of urgency that led me into politics has never left me,” Bardella shared on public television channel France 2 in April.

With 31% of the vote in the European parliamentary election—a record for the National Rally—he soundly defeated Macron’s centrist party.

“A wind of hope is sweeping across France, and it’s only just the beginning,” Bardella proclaimed, urging Macron to call a national election—a challenge the president accepted, setting the first round of voting for June 30.

Handpicked by Marine Le Pen to lead the party in 2022, Bardella ended a 50-year rule by the Le Pen dynasty, rejuvenating the French populist right. He has been instrumental in the National Rally’s efforts to detoxify its image and attract a younger crowd, distancing the party from its founder and Marine’s father, 95-year-old Holocaust denier Jean-Marie Le Pen. While Bardella continues to fight against the party’s antisemitic and racist overtones, the populist rhetoric remains similar.

“We will act by expelling delinquents, criminals, and foreign Islamists who pose a threat to national security,” Bardella promised, campaigning on limiting the free movement of migrants and threats of mass expulsions.

Bardella’s popularity signifies that what was once considered fringe in French politics is now mainstream. Voting for the far right is no longer shameful for many in France, appealing to the working class, the unemployed, and young people in rural areas. On Sunday, 32% of those aged 18-34 voted for him compared to 5% for Macron’s candidate, according to an Elabe poll for BFMTV.

Political analyst Dominique Moisi notes that Bardella has galvanized a new generation of voters concerned about jobs, the cost of living, and what they see as an identity crisis in France.

“They (the youth) think the world is too dangerous and they say we don’t want to be inundated by migrants from the Middle East or Africa. We want to be at home,” Moisi explained.

Bardella’s carefully curated social media presence makes him relatable to his 1.5 million followers. Known for his videos with brutal put-downs, such as drinking a beer with the caption “drinking the tears of Macron fans,” he has led a successful charm offensive on TikTok with videos of him wine tasting and doing shots, even garnering thousands of views from something as mundane as eating a cereal bar.

Far-left figurehead Jean-Luc Mélenchon has accused Bardella of being all bluster and no substance. “What does Mr. Bardella want? We don’t know. He says nothing. He’s a good-looking guy, but what’s his program? Throwing immigrants into the sea.”

Critics also highlight Bardella’s short career and lack of concrete experience, noting his many absences from the European Parliament, to which he was first elected in 2019.

Despite his inexperience, Bardella’s ability to rally support was evident when Eric Ciotti, head of The Republicans, France’s traditional right-wing party, announced a surprise coalition with the National Rally for the upcoming legislative elections. This move, welcomed by Marine Le Pen as a “brave choice,” was immediately attacked by senior members of Ciotti’s own party.

Bardella, who dated Le Pen’s niece, describes their relationship as very trusting. “I’m a loyal, well-behaved boy and I’ll always be her first supporter,” he said.

Le Pen, a self-described Bardella groupie, admires his maturity and believes his electoral success in the European elections will boost her ambitions for the next presidential election in 2027. Having run for president three times since 2012 and making it to the final runoff in the past two, she is expected to be a candidate again.

These two deeply political figures, one a fixture of French political life and the other an up-and-coming disruptor, seem to have found a remarkably efficient political match. Their partnership threatens to bring a party long considered too far to the right into power.