Presidential 2027: Arnaud Montebourg calls to 'urgently neutralize' Jean-Luc Mélenchon, calling him a 'furious madman'
Translated from French, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.
At a glance
- Former French Economy Minister Arnaud Montebourg has sharply criticized Jean-Luc Mélenchon, calling him a "furious madman."
- Montebourg accuses Mélenchon of seeking to lead a future "insurrection" and advocates for his "urgent neutralization."
- He also criticizes Mélenchon's economic proposals, likening them to a "Greek scenario" that would lead to the IMF taking power.
Arnaud Montebourg, a former French Economy Minister, has launched a scathing attack on Jean-Luc Mélenchon, the influential leader of La France Insoumise. Montebourg described Mélenchon as a "furious madman" and called for his "urgent neutralization," suggesting Mélenchon aims to be the figurehead of a future "insurrection."
He wants to be the chief of the future insurrection, he has put on his Mao collar and will deliver sermons on the mount, he will prophesy the worst to be its agitator and restorer.
Speaking on a podcast, Montebourg criticized Mélenchon's confrontational approach and radical strategy. He accused Mélenchon of wanting to "be the chief of the future insurrection" and of delivering "sermons on the mount" to prophesy disaster and position himself as the agitator and restorer.
All of that is delirium, it's poorly digested left-wing agit-prop.
Montebourg also dismissed Mélenchon's concept of a "New France," which celebrates diverse origins and generational renewal, as "delirium" and "poorly digested left-wing agit-prop." He specifically targeted Mélenchon's economic platform, which he claims would involve 225 billion euros in new spending, a million new civil servants, 100 billion euros in new taxes, and a deficit increase of 9 points. Montebourg warned that such policies would lead to the International Monetary Fund taking control, calling it a "Greek scenario."
225 billion euros of new spending, a million new civil servants, 100 billion euros of new taxes, 9 points of deficit... In short, the IMF will take power, it's the Greek scenario.
This is not the first time Montebourg has clashed with Mélenchon's presidential ambitions. Previously, he had stated that voting for Mélenchon would lead to France's ruin or international tutelage. Montebourg argued that it is unacceptable for a candidate to worsen the nation's problems rather than solve them.
If you want to sink France, vote Mélenchon in the first round.
Originally published by Le Figaro in French. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.