Everything you need to know about France’s final presidential debate

It was a feisty debate. Desperate to climb in the polls (she currently trails Macron by 20 points), Le Pen didn’t pull any punches. She described Macron as a servant of “social brutality” seeking a societal “war of all against all.” Seeking to attract far-left voters who oppose Macron’s plans to reform the economy, Le Pen claimed she would protect France’s generous social safety net.

In contrast, Macron sought to highlight the more extreme elements of Le Pen’s party platform. He accused her of tolerating ahistorical denials of France’s collusion with Nazi death squads. He suggested that a President Le Pen would drive innocent citizens towards the hands of terrorists. And he claimed she lacked the nuance to govern effectively.

On security, both candidates promised new measures on counter-terrorism. Le Pen, however, took a more culturally-specific line in this regard. She warned that a deep vein of Islamist criminality was being tolerated, and that more prison sentences are needed. Macron pledged to hire 10,000 more police officers but also asserted the need to bring French citizens together.

On the economy, Le Pen promised protectionism from “unfair international competition.” An anti-globalization candidate of far greater tenor than President Trump, Le Pen knows her industrial base, and the far-left, are wholly unsympathetic to international trade and competition. Macron suggested that active reforms would be needed to liberalize the private sector from regulations.

On Europe, Le Pen called for a return to the Franc currency and she promised a referendum on France’s future in the European Union. Macron disagreed with both suggestions. Oddly however, Le Pen did not push Macron on his opposition to a referendum. It was a lost opportunity to paint him as the candidate of the establishment.

While Macron called for European Union reforms, he was resolute in his support for globalization. Yet Macron was off-balance on Europe. Le Pen was able to agitate her opponent by interrupting him. As Macron became angry, Le Pen smirked. In turn, Macron couldn’t prevent himself from slipping into technocratic language.

The candidates were next asked how they would interact with Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Macron started. He called for cooperation with Trump on intelligence sharing and counter-terrorism. Repudiating the anti-Americanism that often infects French foreign policy discourse, Macron stated unequivocally “we need America.” On Putin, Macron was less positive. He called for “de-escalation” in Ukraine and Syria. But he claimed that where Le Pen would submit to Putin, he would stand firm.

Le Pen called for distance from the United States. And she lamented the morality of those who lecture leaders such as Putin. When Macron interrupted, Le Pen jumped at him. His response: “I’m interrupting you because you are saying stupid things.” Le Pen continued. France’s interests, she claimed, would be far better served by an unrestrained trading and diplomatic relationship with Russia. Interestingly, Le Pen also brought up Thatcher and Reagan, claiming their economic model has failed, another effort to attract far-left voters.

Ultimately, attempting to put my bias aside (I support Macron as the conservative candidate), I believe Macron was the ultimate victor. He denied Le Pen self-presentation as a political independent. And he was tough in his condemnations of Le Pen’s rhetoric and past. To win, Le Pen needed a good number of killer blows. She didn’t get them.

I believe Macron will be the next president of the Fifth Republic.

Tom Rogan (@TomRtweets) is a contributor to the Washington Examiner’s Beltway Confidential blog. He is a foreign policy columnist for National Review, a domestic policy columnist for Opportunity Lives, a former panelist on The McLaughlin Group and a senior fellow at the Steamboat Institute.

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