Trump Calls Far-Right French Presidential Candidate Eric Zemmour To Show Support

Former President Donald Trump encouraged far-right French Presidential candidate Eric Zemmour over a phone call on Monday.

“Donald Trump told Eric Zemmour ‘never give in, hold on, be brave, it’s tenacity and endurance that end up paying at the end of a campaign,'” Zemmour spokesperson Guillaume Peltier told France 2.

Zemmour has drawn comparisons to Trump before and even modeled his campaign after Trump’s 2016 run. He was a journalist, instead of a real estate mogul and reality TV star before deciding to pursue politics late in his career. Ideologically, they are similar as well, both running a populist campaign. Much like Trump, Zemmour is known for making out-of-line comments that regularly go viral.

“He told me to remain who I am, that the media would call me brutal but that what mattered was to stay true to myself,” Zemmour told reports on Tuesday.

Zemmour’s team released a statement saying the two discussed Trump’s 2016 campaign, immigration and the economy during their 40-minute long phone call.

“We share the same ideas, namely that the United States should remain the United States and France should remain France,” Zemmour said.

Zemmour names immigration and Islamic influence as two of France’s biggest issues.

The journalist turned politician is gaining quickly on conservatives Valérie Pécresse and Marine Le Pen. Le Pen was shown at 16 percent while Pécrese and Zemmour were all tied up at 14 percent, according to POLITICO’s Poll of Polls. They all remain behind current President Emmanuel Macron in the latest polls but are fighting to win a spot for the runoff vote against the President.

Trump’s team confirmed the call but didn’t elaborate on the details.