Candidates clashed on cost of living, Ukraine and the EU, with Le Pen appearing to mock Macron and the president struggling not to sound patronising
It was billed as a match between two presidential candidates – one who inspired fear and the other loathing.
“An absolute priority for the next year will be giving back the French their money,” she said promising to reduce VAT on fuel and energy. The first real clash came over salaries, when Macron dismissed Le Pen’s suggestion she would increase wages by 10%. There were the expected hot topics: Macron mentioned Russia, claiming that Le Pen’s well-publicised loan from a Russian bank with links to the Kremlin made her “dependent” and influenced her political decisions.because your interests are linked to Russian powers,” Macron said. “In 2015 you took out a loan with a Russian bank and you still have not paid it back.” This prompted Le Pen, a cat breeder in her spare time, to show her claws. “He knows I am a free woman, I am a patriot.
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