Il was chosen to close the great meeting bringing together extreme and nationalist right-wingers from all over the world, which was held on May 19 and 20 in Hungary. At the CPAC Budapest rostrum (for Conservative Political Action Conference), Jordan Bardella succeeded the Hungarian Prime Minister, Viktor Orban, Donald Trump, who had recorded a video message, Candace Owens, the most famous conservative influencer in America, deputies from the Belgian Vlaams Belang, Brothers from Italy, Spaniards from Vox … When most of the speakers focused their speech on gender issues and the threat posed to our societies by the “LGBT lobby”, the young French leader, 26, decided to talk immigration, a recurring theme within the RN, but also ecology, birth rate and new technologies. A remarkable speech for the president of the CPAC, which he wrote himself on the plane that was taking him to Budapest, he wants to clarify. A few minutes after this great oral, we find him in the VIP lounge of the congress. He gives his vision on the future in Europe and America, of the “patriot camp” and calls for a recomposition in the European Parliament, where Fidesz, Viktor Orban’s party, has broken with the big right-wing party, the EPP.
point : The main American conservative lobby CPAC has chosen Budapest for its first European conference. Do you think that Hungary has become a model for nationalist right-wingers all over the world?
Jordan Bardella : The question is not to look for a model. It is a question of reflecting on what has been done in each other. I particularly admire the birth rate policy put in place by Viktor Orban. Hungary is in a demographic deficit, should it resort to immigration or try to conceive the workers of tomorrow on its territory? She made the choice of a rather offensive natalist policy, with tax incentives and state accompaniments. We can be inspired by it in France. That is why these kinds of international meetings are essential. All the parties represented, regardless of their differences, share a common foundation: the desire to protect the identity of their peoples. There is an attachment to the idea of a border here. Our adversaries, in all our countries, are alike. They are ultraliberals, followers of deregulation, transfers of sovereignty ever stronger in favor of international organizations. I share with the Hungarian and Polish governments the idea of reorganizing the European construction around the concept of sovereign and independent free nations in the face of a European Commission, which is, in some aspects, totalitarian and interferes in the life of states, sometimes against the opinion of the people. We want to put this organization aside in order to bring out a Europe with a la carte.
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In your speech, you mentioned topics that had not been discussed so far (ecology, digital society), but you did not talk about the main threats identified by the other participants: woke ideology and gender issues. Each his fights?
I could have also talked about woke ideology, but I wanted to open up about the topics that the sovereigntist camp, the patriot camp, must also appropriate. The left does not have a monopoly on ecology, the ultraliberals do not have a monopoly on new technologies and the digital society. We are all sovereignists here, it’s normal that there are some differences between us, it’s not a secret. Some have more conservative societal positions than we do. But that’s because they come from more conservative societies.
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You are a member of the European Parliament. Viktor Orban’s Fidesz recently left the big right-wing group, the EPP. What is the link between the Rassemblement National and Fidesz? Is a rapprochement conceivable?
On the 2019-2024 mandate, I note that the lines have evolved considerably. I took advantage of this summit in Budapest to meet with the Hungarian Minister of Justice, Judit Varga, as well as the head of the Fidesz delegation to the European Parliament. We share the same vision of what Europe should be. Eventually – I hope for the 2024 European elections – a single sovereigntist group would be needed in the European Parliament, in order to weigh in more strongly than with our 70 MEPs. [Groupe « Identité et Démocratie », auquel appartient le RN, NDLR], the ECR deputies and the Fidesz deputies who have now left the EPP. 2022 marked the recomposition of the political divide in France. 2024 must act the recomposition in Europe. We are at the exchanges, we see each other, we discuss, we even work together in some committees in Parliament. America elected Trump, the UK got Brexit and Europe is moving in the right direction. Fidesz in Hungary, PiS in Poland, Vox in Spain, The League in Italy, us in France… It’s moving. We are no longer in the Europe of François Hollande, Matteo Renzi and Angela Merkel.
What are your connections to the US Republican Party?
We necessarily feel closer to the European sovereignists with whom we share a common political space. But we are also in contact with American parliamentarians and we sent a delegation to CPAC in Orlando a few months ago. We believe that the election of Trump, Brexit, the new situation in Hungary and Poland, all this is a sign of an awakening of the peoples. Throughout history, France has often set an example with its revolutions. Maybe she will close this phase? We’re going to get there eventually.
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Will we see a CPAC summit in Paris soon?
Wait, this is my first time attending a CPAC. I make contacts and exchange ideas. We are preparing the world of tomorrow and the patriot camp, in the very broad sense, of tomorrow.
It is said that Marine Le Pen had to go to this Budapest CPAC. A Facebook post announcing it was reportedly published and then deleted. What do you know about it?
The invitation was forwarded to me. Marine Le Pen is busy: unlike me, she is a candidate for the parliamentary elections. She is right now in her constituency. I assume the role of ambassador of the movement, of its project in events like this.
