Marine Le Pen's decision to run for president in 2027 has led to her deputy, Jordan Bardella, stepping back from his presidential ambitions. Le Pen's entry into the race has reportedly boosted her standing in opinion polls, while Bardella, at 30 years old, would have faced intense scrutiny regarding his age and experience.
Bardella's political ascent within the National Rally party has been rapid. Had he been permitted to run, his party's strong poll numbers and his own approval ratings could have positioned him to succeed Emmanuel Macron as France's youngest president and the first hard-right head of state in modern history. However, Bardella's demeanor at a recent campaign event in the north-west of France, where he appeared reserved while Le Pen engaged with cameras, suggested a shift in his political trajectory.
Born in 1995, Bardella was raised by his single mother on the outskirts of Paris. While he has described his mother's financial struggles, his father, who owned a drinks distribution business, lived in a more affluent town, a detail that diverges from a narrative of hardship he had previously used to connect with a broader electorate.
Bardella's early life was not marked by political involvement; according to a former school friend, he was more interested in video games, particularly 'Call of Duty,' which he streamed on YouTube under the handle Jordan9320. He joined the far-right National Front at age 17 in 2012 and quickly rose through the ranks, becoming a local departmental secretary at 19 and a regional councilor for the Paris region at 20. He abandoned his university studies to dedicate himself to his political career.