In a strategy similar to one used by French President Emmanuel Macron in his two previous debates against Le Pen, Attal attacked the far-right on its inconsistency and its ability to govern competently, often pressing Bardella into delivering specifics on his policy proposals.
Both millennials rank highly in terms of popularity, but recent polling shows Bardella and the National Rally are likely to win twice as many votes as Attal’s pro-Macron Renaissance party in the June 9 European election. Renaissance operatives are hoping Attal’s performance on prime-time television will help mobilize centrist voters.
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Bardella fought back, though, and delivered his strongest lines on immigration, the RN’s evergreen campaign theme, slamming French government policies he deemed too soft.
The RN’s lead candidate for the EU election accused Attal of pushing for an “extremist project on immigration” and said the EU’s border agency, Frontex, currently served “not as a border guard office” but rather “a reception service for migrants.”
Still, Bardella, a media-savvy politician who tends to hold his own in debates, appeared uncomfortable at times against a French prime minister speaking without notes and seeming to be in control.
Appointed earlier this year, Attal became the youngest prime minister in France’s history. Bardella, however, could beat that mark three years from now: Le Pen has pledged to made the young far-right leader head of government if she wins the 2027 presidential race.
The Bardella-Attal debate drew the ire of other EU lead candidates. François-Xavier Bellamy, lead candidate of the conservative Les Républicains, called it a “symbol of a deep democratic crisis,” and lamented the absence of other political representatives. He also questioned why Attal had been invited instead of Renaissance’s lead candidate for the EU election, Valérie Hayer.
