President Donald Trump is taking a firm stand against the international spread of political persecution — this time in France.

On Thursday night, Trump posted to Truth Social expressing his full support for French conservative firebrand Marine Le Pen, denouncing a French court’s ruling against her as a “witch hunt” straight out of the same playbook used against him. Le Pen, leader of the populist National Rally party and longtime presidential contender, was sentenced Monday to four years in prison — though she’ll reportedly serve it under house arrest with an electronic monitor — and hit with a hefty €320,000 (roughly $350,000) fine.

Her crime? Allegedly misusing €4.8 million in European Union funds meant for parliamentary assistants — a charge Le Pen has long denied and one that many conservatives on both sides of the Atlantic see as politically motivated.

Trump didn’t hold back, comparing Le Pen’s case to his own experience being targeted by the political establishment.

“Marine Le Pen is a hero for the French people, and she is being persecuted because she dared to stand up to the globalist elite,” Trump wrote. “They’re trying to silence her just like they’ve tried to silence me — because she tells the truth.”

Trump’s use of the phrase “witch hunt” mirrors how he has consistently characterized his own legal battles — from the multiple indictments brought against him by partisan prosecutors to the now-debunked Russia hoax. His call to “FREE MARINE LE PEN!” lit up social media and quickly trended across both the U.S. and France, with MAGA supporters and European populists rallying behind the embattled French leader.

Le Pen has long been a symbol of resistance to globalism, mass immigration, and EU overreach. Her tough stance on national sovereignty, border control, and French identity has made her a target of the media and the European elite for years. In recent elections, she made major gains, pulling in millions of votes from working-class French citizens disillusioned with the ruling class.

The timing of the ruling is also raising eyebrows. France is once again approaching a major political crossroads, and Le Pen was widely expected to run for president again — and possibly win. The court’s ruling, which includes a ban on running for public office, effectively eliminates one of the few viable right-wing challengers to the entrenched French establishment.

Critics are calling it a blatant act of political suppression.

“First Trump, then Bolsonaro, now Le Pen. When will people realize this isn’t about justice, it’s about power?” tweeted one European political analyst.

French prosecutors claim the funds in question were diverted from the European Parliament to fund National Rally staff positions, but defenders argue the EU’s complex and vague spending rules are regularly used to target populist parties while establishment players get a pass. Le Pen maintains that her party followed the same practices used by others, yet only her organization was singled out for punishment.

If the ruling stands, it will likely only inflame tensions across France, where the political center continues to collapse and grassroots support for nationalist leaders grows. Many expect widespread protests in the coming days, especially from the Yellow Vest movement and other populist factions fed up with what they see as deep systemic corruption in French politics.

Trump’s intervention in the case reflects not just personal sympathy, but a broader strategy. The former president has increasingly aligned himself with right-wing leaders around the world who challenge globalist institutions — from Hungary’s Viktor Orbán to Argentina’s Javier Milei.

“This isn’t just about France,” Trump said in a follow-up post. “This is about whether free nations will be ruled by their people — or by unelected bureaucrats and corrupt elites. The people of France deserve better. Le Pen deserves justice.”

If there was ever any doubt about the international reach of the America First movement, Trump’s latest move made it clear: the fight for national sovereignty and political freedom is global. And according to Trump, it’s only just beginning.