Jordan Bardella, president of France's far-right National Rally (Rassemblement nationale, or RN), sat down for lunch with the executive committee of Medef (France's largest employer federation) on Monday, part of a broader effort by the party to build ties with the country's corporate world. The meeting follows a separate, even more discreet dinner at the prestigious Parisian brasserie Drouant, where party figurehead Marine Le Pen dined with heads of major French firms including TotalEnergies, Renault, Engie, and Accor, as well as France's richest man, Bernard Arnault. Analysts say the outreach reflects less an ideological shift than electoral pragmatism — with business leaders hedging their bets ahead of the 2027 presidential race, and the RN deploying more market-friendly rhetoric without abandoning its traditionally statist, protectionist base.