Le Pen won lots to speak first and chose to focus on cost of living, vetoing the broadcaster’s preference to address Ukraine
After a disastrous performance in the 2017 presidential debate, Le Pen was far better prepared this time. She had been advised to play the mother of the nation – advice she failed to take in 2017. Back then, her team suggested she attempt to destabilise Macron, treat him as a “spoilt child”. In the event, Macron destabilised her from the start, telling her that despite her efforts to detoxify her and her party’s image she was the “true heiress” of Le Pen Sr and the “French far right”.
The government spokesperson Gabriel Attal said: “The president of the Republic is approaching this debate calmly and with great interest because it is an important democratic moment, because it is an important moment of clarification that will allow us to go into the details of the projects.” Le Pen is expected to pull Macron up on some of his more unfortunate public comments, including that he wanted to “piss off the non-vaccinated”, or that he “could cross the road” and find an unemployed person a job.