Marion Maréchal became involved in politics at a young age. At first as a mere grassroots activist in the National Front, founded by her grandfather, Jean-Marie Le Pen. In 2012, she got into parliament from the party’s lists, as the youngest MP in the history of the French Fifth Republic. In 2017, she decided to withdraw from active politics, but only to continue to fight in the realm of ideas. She founded ISSEP (Institut des sciences sociales, économiques et politiques) school of political, social and economic sciences and an affiliated think tank. She is seen by many as the hope of the French Right, as speculations of her return to politics never seem to wane. Her speech at CPAC in the US in 2018 introduced her to the American Right. She has a little daughter. This year she married an Italian MEP, Vincenzo Sofo, a member of the right-wing party Fratelli d’Italia.
The following – part of a series of interviews on IM-1776 exploring ‘populism’ and its impact – is a slightly edited (for clarity) transcript of an interview which took place in Paris, on October 5, 2021. Read more…