French Senator Claude Malhuret Emerges as a Sharp Critic of Former U.S. President Trump

During a recent event in Vichy, France, commemorating the 80th anniversary of the conclusion of World War II in Europe, Senator Claude Malhuret stepped forward to lay a wreath at a monument honoring the fallen. He attentively heard students speak about the fragile state of peace, the defense of French ideals, and the fascist horrors that led to Hitler’s gas chambers.

Though his appearance might blend into the crowd, Malhuret has become a prominent European critic of former U.S. President Donald Trump. His sharp and widely viewed speeches have labeled Trump as an "incendiary emperor" and accused him of unprecedented violations of the U.S. Constitution.

With an unyielding tone rarely seen among American politicians, Malhuret has likened Trump to tyrannical Roman emperors such as Nero and Caligula. He even remarked that while Caligula infamously appointed his horse as consul, “at least that horse did no harm to anyone.”

Requests for comment on Malhuret’s statements from the White House went unanswered.

Now 75 years old, Malhuret is a retired doctor and a centrist politician with right-leaning views. He served as mayor of Vichy for 28 years until 2017. The city is a potent symbol of France’s dark wartime past. Between 1940 and 1944, it was the seat of Marshal Philippe Pétain’s regime, which collaborated with Nazi Germany and was responsible for sending approximately 76,000 Jews to their deaths in concentration camps.

It was therefore natural to ask Malhuret if Vichy’s historical legacy influenced his outspoken stance against what he perceives as America’s drift toward authoritarianism.

“People still come here expecting to see men sporting little Hitler mustaches,” Malhuret said. “The so-called Vichy regime should actually be called the regime of the French State or of Pétain. By the time I became mayor, I was already deeply opposed to all forms of totalitarianism, whether from the right or the left.”