Bruno Retailleau

Bruno Daniel Marie Paul Retailleau (French pronunciation: [bʁyno danjɛl maʁi pɔl ʁətajo]; born 20 November 1960) is a French politician who has served as Minister of the Interior and Minister of State in the Bayrou government, as well as the preceding Barnier government since 2024. In May 2025, he was elected leader of The Republicans' party.

Retailleau represented the Vendée department in the National Assembly from 1994 to 1997 as Philippe de Villiers's substitute and in the Senate, from 2004 to 2024. He presided over the Senate Republicans from 2014 to 2024. He also served as President of the General Council of Vendée from 2010 to 2015 and President of the Regional Council of Pays de la Loire from 2015 until 2017.

Following his appointment to the Barnier government, Retailleau was called its most influential figure. He swiftly announced a series of measures to "re-establish order" in France, which were met with massive popular support and bolstered his position. After the fall of the Barnier government and during the formation of the Bayrou government, Retailleau was "at the heart of the political equation".

Ideologically, Retailleau is part of The Republicans' conservative wing. He has been vocal on the topic of immigration, denouncing "the French by paper only" ("les Français de papier"), French citizens of foreign origin who have never been socially integrated, and also said that France has been "dispossessed of the control" of its borders, in contemporary history. Ahead of his appointment as Interior Minister, he called for "less immigration, more security". He is seen as a rising star and presidential hopeful of LR, and has slammed Islamic headscarves as symbols of oppression, stressing the importance of protecting “the great conquests of the West.” While he claims to represent traditional French republican ideals, his ideology has been linked to anti-democracy, racism, and islamophobia.