Xavier Bertrand, in Paris, on October 6, 2025. CYRIL BITTON/DIVERGENCE FOR LE MONDE
For a long time, Xavier Bertrand refused to tell his personal story through a book. Yet the tradition is almost a rite of passage for those ambitious enough to run for the presidency. "I am more comfortable speaking than writing," said Bertrand, who is a candidate for the 2027 presidential election. At 60, Bertrand, the president of the northern region of Hauts-de-France, took up the challenge in Rien n'est jamais écrit ("Nothing Is Ever Written"). In recent days, he has made the rounds on television and radio channels to promote it – but not those owned by conservative billionaire Vincent Bolloré's media group. "I'm not the type that is attractive for those who want a union of the right with the far right," Bertrand, who served as a minister under right-wing presidents Jacques Chirac and Nicolas Sarkozy, told Le Monde.
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Bertrand aims to oppose the growing rumors of an alliance between the far-right Rassemblement National (RN) party and his own party, Les Républicains (LR, right). On Monday, November 3, Bertrand wrote to LR president Bruno Retailleau to ask him to "clarify" the party's position. "Can he, like me, say neither LFI nor RN?" he said. Lately, Bertrand has mostly seen Retailleau portray radical left party La France Insoumise (LFI) as his ultimate adversary, but considers him more timid in his opposition to the RN on core republican values.
