Marine Le Pen rallies supporters for launch of French presidential bid

Lyon

FRENCH far-right leader Marine Le Pen was due to give a major speech on Sunday to formally launch her presidential bid with a programme featuring many of the themes that propelled Donald Trump to the White House.

Ms Le Pen, who leads the National Front (FN), on Saturday published a list of 144 "commitments" built around putting France first, reclaiming sovereignty from the European Union, and clamping down on immigration.

The 48-year-old is convinced that Mr Trump and the Brexit vote in Britain point to the return of nationalism, while recent dome…