The founder and former leader of France’s far-right National Front party, Jean-Marie Le Pen, has expressed his support for controversial Republican presidential hopeful Donald Trump in the 2016 US presidential race.
“If I were American I would vote for Donald Trump ... may God protect him,” tweeted the fiery 87-year-old founder of the National Front, the party now led by his daughter, Marine, AFP reported.
Le Pen was kicked out of the party after a bitter feud with his daughter after a series of inflammatory comments. Marine le Pen has tried to remake the FN’s image as a more moderate party than that of her father to broaden its appeal to voters.
While the elder Le Pen remains a thorn in the side of the National Front, the party has won increasing support from voters disaffected with the traditional ruling class, much like Trump has done in the United States.
The party drew a record number of votes in December regional polls but failed to win a single region.
Real estate mogul Trump’s unlikely recent successes in the US presidential primaries, despite a series of comments tinged by racism, has stunned observers and shaken the American political establishment to its core.
Earlier this month, US President Barack Obama dismissed Trump’s chances for winning the presidency.
“I continue to believe that Trump will not be president. And the reason is because I have a lot of faith in the American people. And I think they recognize that being president is a serious job,” he told reporters in California.
