Jordan Bardella: Could this 29-year-old inherit Marine Le Pen?

Broad-shouldered, dynamic, confident: the agricultural fair in Vesoul last Monday was once again one of those dates where Jordan Bardella was able to shine. As soon as he arrived, there was an egg stuck on his shoulder – but the young politician, who has been hardened for election campaigns, can now easily put that aside: “They’re only doing that so that I can take off my clothes!” There was a brief laugh, then the smeared jacket was stowed away and Bardella stood in the crowd in a fitted, crisp white shirt. Roll up the cuffs and get started: photos for the fans!

Bardella is 1.88 meters tall, very practical for selfies. Again and again he took the cell phones from his followers’ hands and took the photos himself with his arm outstretched, with him and his beaming smile always in the center of the picture. Also practical: his biceps come into their own when he holds up the phone.

Things could hardly be going better for the chairman of Rassemblement Nation (RN). Marine Le Pen faces a ban for alleged embezzlement of EU funds, which would exclude her from the upcoming 2027 presidential elections. But the uncertain future of his boss doesn’t seem to bother Jordan Bardella much. While she has been sitting in parliament in the mornings and in the dock in the afternoons for the past few weeks, he is currently touring the country as a writer.

As befits French politicians, the 29-year-old has published a book: “Ce que je cherche” is the title of the work. Which can be translated as: “What I strive for”. The title goes back to a quote from Napoleon. France’s most famous emperor and general is said to have said that above all he strived for greatness. So you immediately know where Bardella locates himself and his ambitions.

The daily newspaper “Libération” complained that the book was as sterile and empty of content as its author. Certainly – but that is exactly Jordan Bardella’s secret of success. Everything he says sounds simple. He also exudes what Europe’s right-wing populists have so far lacked: youthful vitality, optimism and charisma. Jordan Bardella’s carotid artery never swells with indignation. He smiles. He uses the possessive pronoun “our” as often as possible: our farmers, our land, our borders, our pride. He looks as sincere as a puppy.

Two years ago, Marine Le Pen declared her loyal pupil from the Paris suburb of Saint-Denis to be his potential successor. Even back then, she said his advantage was that he had neither a past with the National Front nor the name “Le Pen,” both of which could one day become important for the RN. That day may soon come.

The trial against Marine Le Pen and 24 other defendants associated with the then Front National ends on November 27th. The verdict is expected early next year. But in France, the trial was also a reminder of the many scandals and affairs that the right-wing extremists have accumulated over the years. All of this has done little harm to the party so far – but it does cast an unpleasant shadow over the “de-devilization” of the RN that Marine Le Pen has so ambitiously pushed forward – a strategy that ultimately means that she will one day give up her place.

Because something else has shifted: in the latest popularity barometer. Among RN supporters, 59 percent of those surveyed currently favor him, Marine Le Pen is at 37 percent. Bardella ranks nine percentage points ahead of her in the electorate as a whole.

Nothing happens at the RN without Marine Le Pen’s approval. Jordan Bardella wouldn’t have to engage in power-political “mother murder.” He just has to fight to be pushed forward by her for tactical reasons, for the good of the party – or if she is blocked as a candidate. A comfortable position.

If you ask fans who have his book signed by him, it becomes clear: Jordan Bardella is not considered a right-wing extremist to them – but rather a “conservative patriot.” As someone who did not join the RN for purely ideological reasons. But because the party understands his problems best.

There are plenty of problems – and Jordan Bardella knows them all: Islamism, drug crime, looking for a job. That’s what his book is about, that’s what his interviews are about. The 29-year-old presents himself with a supposed street credibility that seems to come naturally to him thanks to his middle-class origins. Unlike Marine Le Pen, he is not rich and grew up in a castle. Unlike almost all of the country’s politicians, he doesn’t have a university degree, as he likes to emphasize. He doesn’t discuss solutions. But no one expects that from him. Jordan Bardella cultivates a style that his followers know from social networks: affirmation instead of analysis.

Paradoxically, France’s right-wing populists are currently suffering from their own success: their content is meeting with growing approval. For the first time, the majority of French people, 51 percent, no longer see the party as a threat to democracy. On the other hand, as the number of RN MPs in parliament has increased, doubts about their competence have apparently grown: only 41 percent of French people consider the party to be capable of governing; a decrease of two percentage points.

With a view to the 2027 presidential elections, the RN will now be concerned with which candidate will prove to be a driving force for moderate voters. And at least on this point, Jordan Bardella’s literary work opens up interesting insights: In real life, Bardella was a big fan of the National Front founder Jean-Marie Le Pen in his early youth – his book, however, is a homage to France’s former conservative president Nicolas Sarkozy .

Bardella tells his readers that he was even said to have a certain similarity. For the RN, which under Marine Le Pen’s leadership has so far fought its way through the system according to the maxim “neither left nor right”, Jordan Bardella apparently has a different vision: connection to the right-wing bourgeois camp. He would certainly be ready as a candidate: “What I strive for” – Jordan Bardella dreams of a place at the top of power, his book leaves no doubt about that. It doesn’t have to be immediately. He’s still young.