France’s far-right National Rally conceded the extent of the damage caused by a court ruling barring its leader, Marine Le Pen, from running for election. But the party insists that the fight isn’t over and that it will try to use the controversy to its advantage.

U.S. President Donald Trump said Le Pen's conviction is a "very big" deal. "She was banned for running for five years, and she's the leading candidate. That sounds very much like this country," he said, likely referring to the litany of felony charges he faced prior to the U.S. election. All charges were dropped after he won the presidency.