Marine Le Pen spotted at Trump Tower and no one knows why
- by Virginia Carter
- in World Media
- — Jan 13, 2017
The leader of France's National Front party Marine Le Pen has been seen in Trump Tower in NY, sparking a near meltdown on social media.
Although an aide to President-elect Donald Trump told Bloomberg that he does not plan to meet her, she was spotted in Trump Tower on Thursday afternoon.
If it is indeed a publicity move, she wouldn't be the first far-right European politician to use a Trump Tower visit for prominence.
She's just using her "private visit" to NY to have coffee in the charming, slightly damp environs of the Trump Tower basement, they told Bloomberg. The first round of the election is in April; she's now leading polls but is considered unlikely to win the subsequent two-way runoff election in May after the supporters of candidates defeated in the first round consolidates around her opponent.
Ms. Le Pen declined to say whether she was. Le Pen essentially expelled her father from the party in 2015, and has been trying to give the National Front a more humane, less overtly Nazi-ish makeover.
Le Pen waived off questions from reporters camped out inside the lobby to observe who is coming and going. 'We don't communicate about private visits, ' he added.
During the United States election campaign, Le Pen had not spoken of any personal affinity with Trump, speaking more of her dislike of Hillary Clinton.
Trump team spokesperson Hope Hicks told reporters: "She is not meeting with anyone from our team".
Le Pen, who was very excited about Trump's election, was spotted again in Trump Tower a few hours later. Asked whether she would come speak to the pool later and one of her associates said "OK".
Pool asked whether she was here to meet with PEOTUS and she declined to answer.
Le Pen has always been a vocal supporter of Trump, calling him a "sign of hope", and stating that his victory had "made possible what had previously been presented as impossible".
