US President Donald Trump has defended French far-right leader Marine Le Pen after a Paris court convicted her and about two dozen members of her "National Rally" party earlier this week. for embezzling European funds, Reuters reported, BTA reported.
Le Pen was given an automatic five-year ban from running for president in 2027 unless she successfully appeals the verdict.
The judge who handed down her sentence is under police protection after receiving death threats, Reuters reported.
Le Pen, her National Rally allies and her supporters have accused the judges in the case of interfering in the democratic process. On Tuesday, French Prime Minister Francois Bayrou told parliament that he "unconditionally supports" the judiciary.
Trump described the case against Le Pen as a political persecution and a "witch hunt", while at the same time praising the far-right leader.
"She suffered losses, but moved on, and now, right before what would have been a big victory, she is being caught on a minor charge that she probably knew nothing about – sounds to me like an "accounting" error," Trump wrote last night in a post on his social network "Truth Social". "All of this is so bad for France," he added.
Over the years, human rights activists have drawn comparisons between Le Pen and Trump over their anti-immigration views and harsh rhetoric against minorities, Reuters noted.
The French court's decision represents a major setback for Le Pen, 56, who was leading in opinion polls until her conviction. Trump compared Le Pen's situation to his own.
The billionaire has been charged with covering up payments to a porn star to buy her silence, trying to overturn the results of the 2020 election, which he lost, and withholding classified documents after the end of his first term as president. He was convicted in the bribery case in exchange for silence. Trump has denied wrongdoing in all the cases, which he described as politically motivated.
Federal charges against him were dropped after his victory in the 2024 presidential election, Reuters recalls.