US President Donald Trump, his Vice President J.D. Vance and billionaire Elon Musk have expressed their support for French far-right leader Marine Le Pen after she was found guilty of illegal embezzlement of funds and banned from running in the 2027 French presidential election, Reuters reported, BTA reports.
Trump, who has often described his own legal troubles as a witch hunt initiated by leftists, drew a parallel with Le Pen, leader of the French far-right party "National Rally" (NR), which was considered the likely winner of the presidential election.
On Monday she was convicted of embezzling European Union funds, which she used to pay for the salaries of her party representatives. She received a four-year prison sentence, two of which were suspended and two to be served under house arrest, as well as a fine of 100,000 euros.
Le Pen was given a five-year ban from running for elected office, effective immediately, which will prevent her from participating in the 2027 presidential election unless the decision she is appealing is overturned by a higher court next year.
“The witch hunt against Marine Le Pen is yet another example of the European left using legal warfare to silence free speech and punish their political opponent“, Trump wrote on his social network “Truth Social“ and added: “This is the same “trick“that was used against me“.
Trump has been indicted for covering up hush money payments to a pornographic actress, for trying to overturn the results of the 2020 election, which he lost, and for illegally retaining classified documents after the end of his first term. He was convicted in the hush money case.
Trump denies any wrongdoing and calls all the cases against him politically motivated. Federal charges against him were dropped after he won the 2024 election.
J.D. Vance, who accused European countries of violating democratic principles in an attempt to thwart the rise of far-right parties, also joined in supporting Le Pen.
“The Europeans, they are absolutely 100 percent our friends. But that relationship will be strained and tested if they continue to try to throw opposition leaders in jail,“ Vance told Newsmax television yesterday.
Elon Musk, who has supported far-right figures across Europe, shared Trump's message on his own social network “Ex“ and added the call: “Freedom for Le Pen!“