What’s happening in France between entrepreneurs and Bardella of RN?
Entrepreneurs: The RN taboo in France is being quietly broken. L'Opinion's article, taken from Liturri 's review.
(L'Opinion, Nina Jackowski, Corinne Lhaïk and Sarah Spitz, 29 October 2025)
The article in brief
The National Rally, long ostracized by the business community, is holding more discreet meetings with managers, federations, and employers' unions to allay fears and reassure them about political instability. Jordan Bardella is publishing a book on the France of labor, while Ifop polls indicate that 29% of small business leaders would vote for the National Rally in new elections.
Since RN gained seats in 2022, business contacts have intensified, but remain secret: patrons open doors without publicly admitting it, due to a persistent taboo. Examples: Henri Proglio dines with Le Pen, Eric Trappier (UIMM, Dassault) walks with her at Le Bourget, Patrick Martin (Medef) meets Le Pen and invites Bardella to the REF. Mediators like François Durvye and Ambroise de Rancourt facilitate; RN listens in on energy and tax issues, with MPs like Tanguy and Loubet.
RN's makeover includes jokes about pension delays (why do entrepreneurs work longer but push for retirement at 60?) and criticism of LFI as repulsive: if Bardella vs. Mélenchon in 2027, businesses will have an 80/20 split for RN. Fiscal debates (Zucman tax) are gaining momentum: RN now calls the complaint "stupid and harmful." Territories matter: local RN MPs share concerns with SMEs, responding quickly.
Five key quotes
A senior business official expressed frustration: "Today, with concessions to the PS, we are buying a commodity that no longer exists: stability," preferring to risk RN's final impasse.
A strategic advisor notes the openness: "I've had to change my approach. Now I tell companies 'meet them,'" citing Macron's invitation to Bardella to Saint-Denis 2023 as his first public outreach.
A RN heavyweight is delighted: "Now major entrepreneurs are contacting us. Before 2022, we would discreetly write to SMEs or small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) who were terrified at the thought of meeting us," reflecting the influx of requests after the 2024 dissolution.
Patrick Martin (Medef) evaluates the REF debate: «Some are more aware of the dangers and what is happening in the world than others».
A business leader predicts: "If in 2027 it's Bardella against Mélenchon, on the business side we're thinking 80/20," with LFI being a repellent and useful to RN, in the context of tax debates that reinforce the party's pro-business vision.
(Excerpt from Giuseppe Liturri's blog )
This is a machine translation from Italian language of a post published on Start Magazine at the URL https://www.startmag.it/mondo/francia-imprenditori-bardella-rn/ on Sun, 02 Nov 2025 06:26:33 +0000.