François Picard is pleased to welcome Victor Mallet, Financial Times Senior Editor at the World News Desk. He interprets the emerging tensions between Marine Le Pen and Jordan Bardella as more than a clash of personalities. They reveal a deeper struggle over the political future of France’s far-right National Rally is becoming as they find themselves in prime position in their hunt to capture the French presidency. Bardella is formally president of the party and has developed his own political constituency, particularly among younger voters and parts of the business community. Yet Mallet argues that Le Pen continues to exercise the decisive ideological and strategic authority.​