Trump Tells Far-Right French Presidential Candidate Who Has Past Convictions for Inciting Racial Hatred: ‘Never Change’

ERIC PIERMONT/AFP via Getty Images)

Former President Donald Trump called France’s Éric Zemmour and reportedly told him to stay true to his convictions while running for president.

Zemmour’s campaign reported the call to French media. According to Zemmour, Trump told him to “never change if you want to win.”

The reports also say that the pair considered meeting at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, but instead chose to speak over the phone.

“He told me to remain who I am, that the media would call me brutal but that what mattered was to stay true to myself,” Zemmour told reporters on Tuesday.

Pundits often compare Zemmour’s candidacy in France to Trump’s 2016 presidential run. Reuters notes that Zemmour’s message tracks with Trump’s America First pledge as he claims “France needs saving from a downward spiral he blames largely on what he describes as unfettered immigration and the increasing influence of Islam on French society.”

Zemmour “holds several convictions for inciting racial hate,” adds Reuters.

Zemmour reportedly told Trump that both France and U.S. currently face a “battle of civilization”.

Insider notes that Zemmour “has advocated for mass deportations, constructing a European Union border wall, and has called unaccompanied migrant children ‘robbers,’ ‘murderers,’ and ‘rapists.’” Zemmour also advocates for closer France-Russia ties and less dependence on the U.S.

“We share the same ideas, namely that the United States should remain the United States and France should remain France,” he added.

National Rally leader Marine Le Pen, who Zemmour is nearing in the polls, tried to downplay the call with Trump, saying, “I wanted to meet him before he was president. To be honest, that’s more interesting than to do so afterward.”