Trump, its the third seat of the debate between two rounds. International, major issue of the 2027 presidential election: political editorial by Guillaume Daret

While an Elabe poll for BFMTV shows that 87% of the French are worried about the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, the candidates for the Elysée will be judged on their ability to face major geopolitical upheavals.

One year before the presidential election, international affairs emerge as a major issue for the future vote. The ability of the various contenders to assume the role of head of state will be closely scrutinized. They must appear credible and reassuring in a context where the future of the world has never been so uncertain and the resulting concern is so strong among voters. While the primary concerns remain national, the French are daily witnessing the direct consequences of geopolitical upheavals on their lives, starting with the price of fuel.

“Can you imagine him sitting at the table with Donald Trump, Xi Jinping, and Vladimir Putin?” This is the question that will keep coming up in the coming months. Jordan Bardella and Gabriel Attal will have to respond to criticisms from their rivals who consider them too inexperienced in this matter to access the Elysée.

Conversely, other more experienced political figures want to see their career as an asset. Dominique de Villepin, former Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, is trying to revive the memory of France’s refusal to join the United States in Iraq in 2003. François Hollande, on the other hand, emphasizes his time at Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré: “I have a difference with others: I have already been president,” said the former head of state this week in a major interview with Marianne when asked what sets him apart from Raphaël Glucksmann, Bernard Cazeneuve, or Jérôme Guedj. It’s a way of telling the French that he knows the job and would be immediately operational. It is also an advantage for Édouard Philippe: “He acts like a President, you see him talking with Trump,” admits a close associate of Emmanuel Macron, despite their chilly relationship.

Because even though he is not a candidate, the American president will be a central figure in this campaign. “Trump is the third chair of the debate in the second round, he has become a player in French political life,” analyzes a close associate of the French president. What will you do if the United States withdraw from NATO? Will France have to send troops to Greenland if Donald Trump decides to invade it? How to react if the weapon of tariffs is wielded again by Washington? These are questions that the Elysée candidates will have to answer. The French have not forgotten that it is indeed the Chief of the Armed Forces whom they will elect in a few months.