France elections ????, Biden-Trump debate ????, and a troubling lack of leadership

Welcome to InsightOut #11!

This week we are talking about:

???? France elections and the anticipated rise of Le Pen and Bardella's far-right
???? USA elections: the first presidential debate, a catastrophe for Biden and an easy win for Trump
?? Climate change victims: what happened in Mecca during Hajj, over 1.300 victims        

France… what happens now?

#France is on the edge of a political earthquake.

The latest elections have crowned Marine #LePen’s Rassemblement National, capable of capturing the frustration of a huge part of the electorate. With #Bardella potentially becoming the youngest Prime Minister at just 28, this is a make-or-break moment for France.

The stakes? Massive.

And the ripples? They'll be felt far beyond France's borders.

Le Pen’s Rassemblement National scooped up 34% of the vote in the first round.

That's a clear signal: a lot of people (namely, 1 in 3) feel completely sidelined by #Macron’s centrist government. They perceive it as out of touch from their everyday struggles.

If the Rassemblement National gets its win, it could force Macron into a messy "cohabitation" government, with Bardella as far-right Prime Minister.

And this isn’t just a French issue; it's part of a wider European trend.

Indeed, France isn’t the only country seeing this shift.

We just experienced that in Italy in 2022: right-wing surged here too, fueled by similar concerns about immigration and national identity.

Europe's political scene is changing fast, and traditional parties are struggling to keep up. Temporary alliances like the one between Macron and Melenchon are fragile, held together only by their opposition to Le Pen in a fragile so-called “desistance” strategy.

Climate change victioms in Saudi Arabia during Hajj

The recent #Hajj pilgrimage in Mecca saw temperatures hit a scorching 50°, leading to over 1,300 deaths.

Most of these were unregistered pilgrims who didn't have access to basic necessities.

This disaster confirms once again how climate change disproportionately affects the most vulnerable.

Yet, the Saudi health minister described the management of the hajj this year as “successful”. Don’t really know how to comment on that, other than it’s downright insulting.

The Biden-Trump Debate: Seriously?

Okay, let’s talk about that Biden-Trump debate. It was a frustrating, depressing, and kind of scary experience.

Biden looked weak.

Trump lied aggressively.

And the moderators were useless.

Biden spoke facts (or, at least, he tried) but looked like a deer caught in the headlights. Communication is key in politics—you need to connect with people, convey a vision, and prove you're fit to lead.

Biden has never been a charismatic leader, but during the debate, he looked completely lost, so much that his team is now seriously considering a replacement for November’s elections.

Trump, on the other hand, never lacked charisma.

He confidently blurted out so many lies it’s difficult to keep count, just like him stating that during his presidency, the US had “the best numbers ever on the environment”.

Yeah, right.

That was probably in a different universe. Carbon Brief’s report just analyzed that if Trump gets back into the White House, we’re looking at an extra 4 billion tons of emissions by 2030 compared to Biden’s policies.

And what's worse is that the moderators didn’t even try to fact-check him during the debate, giving him an easy win over a weakened Biden.

Yet one thing is painfully clear after this debate: neither of these guys is fit to lead.

Nor the 81-year-old confused Biden, nor the convicted and compulsive liar Trump (78 years old).

I believe we are experiencing a troubling lack of leadership at political level;

France’s election results, the heatwave in Mecca, and leadership crises in the U.S. highlight the need for visionary leadership.

We must build a renewed political culture.

Our future depends on it.

If we fail to rise to this challenge, we risk being consumed by the very problems we seek to solve.

Here’s the thing: if we don’t step up now, the issues we’re facing—climate change, political instability, social inequality—will only get worse.

Instead of overcoming these challenges, we’ll be overwhelmed by them.

If we keep settling for the status quo, we’ll keep getting what we’ve always got: more division, more suffering, more disaster.

We’ll be stuck in a cycle of reacting to crises rather than preventing them.

And we cannot afford that.

That's all for this week!

What are your thoughts on France's situation, waiting for next week's turnout?

What do you expect from US elections?

Let me know and let's continue the discussion

See you next week,

Nadia