French presidential candidate Eric Zemmour spoke with former US President Donald Trump on Monday. The latter advised him to “stay courageous,” according to Zemmour’s campaign manager.
Guillaume Peltier, the vice-chairman of Zemmour’s ‘Reconquete’ movement, told France 2 television on Tuesday that the call took place late on Monday evening and lasted “around 40 minutes.”
“Donald Trump told Eric Zemmour not to give in, hold firm, stay courageous,” Peltier stated, while contending that the media can be harsh on outsider candidates.
He added that the call was held “after Donald Trump’s office responded positively to our various requests,” and when it was deemed difficult for Zemmour to travel to Florida to meet the former president.
“To win, never change your line. Don’t give in,” Trump was also reported to have said.
Zemmour, a far-right anti-establishment figure who has spoken openly about his opposition to immigration and Islam, has drawn comparisons with the former US leader, leading him to be dubbed “Le Trump.”
The Paris-born polemicist of Algerian-Jewish descent, who has been convicted several times for inciting racial hatred, espouses a nativist agenda, with some experts suggesting Trump’s 2016 campaign is the blueprint for his own candidacy.
He has previously proposed a ban on foreign-sounding names, including Mohammed, and has touted a conspiracy known as the Grand Remplacement (Great Replacement) theory, which claims complicit forces are attempting to repopulate France with Africans.