Leader of the National Front (FN) praises Donald Trump at campaign rally in Lyon

'Trump is keeping his promises, acting fast and strong' said Ms Le Pen

Ms Le Pen is currently leading polls to win the first round of the presidential election, but is expected to lose heavily in the second

FAR-RIGHT French presidential hopeful Marine Le Pen paid a glowing tribute to Donald Trump and Brexit today saying she could make her own country ‘free again’.

The 48-year-old leader of the National Front (FN) launched her campaign to become head of state at a rally in Lyon, eastern France.

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‘Donald Trump is keeping his promises, acting fast and strong in the interest of his people,’ said Ms Pen.

French presidential hopeful Marine Le Pen paid tribute to Donald Trump and Brexit suggesting that she was the candidate to make France 'free again'

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In turn, she promised her own populist revolution – one based on fighting globalisation and radical Islam, and engineering an exit from the ‘failed’ EU.

‘The European Union has placed us under guardianship, we will have to find a compromise with Europe to regain sovereignty,’ said Ms Le Pen.

If no compromise is found, Ms Le Pen said she wanted to organise a Frexit referendum so as ‘to resign from his nightmares and become free again’.

She also wants to leave NATO, and devout to ‘two per cent of gross domestic product’ to building up the French Army.

Her ‘Made in France’ economic policies would be based on jobs for French workers, and a clampdown on foreign companies creating ‘unfair competition’ from other countries in the global economy.

‘Donald Trump is keeping his promises, acting fast and strong in the interest of his people,’ said Ms Pen, praising the new US president

‘The European Union has placed us under guardianship, we will have to find a compromise with Europe to regain sovereignty,’ said Ms Le Pen

She particularly wants to stop immigration from Muslim countries, and to clampdown on Islamic practices in France so as to defend ‘French culture’.

The FN leader is currently leading polls to win the first round of the presidential election, but is expected to lose heavily in the second, which will be held in May.

Her closest rival is the 39-year-old independent Emmanuel Macron, who also launched his campaign in Lyon.

The former economics minister and merchant banker is pro-Europe, and pro-free trade, and a fierce enemy of Ms Le Pen.

He said the FN ‘betrays French values’ adding: ‘Some today pretend to be talking in the name of the people, but they are just ventriloquists.

In a clear reference to Ms Le Pen’s father Jean-Marie Le Pen and niece Marion Maréchal-Le Pen, he Mr Macron said: ‘They don’t speak in the name of the people, they speak in the name of their bitterness, they speak for themselves, from father to daughter and daughter to niece.’

With conservative candidate, Francois Fillon, facing criticism and accusations against his financial conduct while in office, Emmanuel Macron has emerged as a potential favourite for victory

With the conservative candidate, Francois Fillon, battling a financial scandal based on fictitious jobs for his Welsh wife Penelope, Mr Macron has a strong chance of victory.

The Socialist Party’s candidate is the radical leftist Benoit Hamon who is described as a ‘French Jeremy Corbyn’ with next to no chance of reaching the Elysee Palace.

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Also speaking in Lyon today was Jean-Luc Melenchon, another hard leftist, who is expected to take a lot of votes off Hamon.