After spending most of his political career in relative anonymity, the 65-year-old Retailleau burst onto the scene two years ago after being named interior minister by former Prime Minister Michel Barnier.
Retailleau’s political savvy and hard-line, unapologetic stance on hot-button issues such as immigration electrified supporters of his seemingly moribund political party, Les Républicains, and prompted speculation that he could parlay his high-profile ministerial role into a presidential campaign.
But Retailleau’s role in bringing down Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu’s first government after just 14 hours — the then-minister argued it included too many people close to Macron — has cost him political capital.
The conservative leader exited government after the debacle and has since appeared to lose momentum, struggling to make headlines. Retailleau’s favorability ratings dropped 11 percentage points from 35 percent last March to 24 percent just before the new year, according to a poll from the firm Elabe.
A November survey on the presidential election conducted by reputable pollster Odoxa showed Retailleau finishing fifth in the first round of the contest with 8 to 10 percent of the projected vote.
Retailleau joins former Prime Minister Edouard Philippe, Greens leader Marine Tondelier and Socialist MP Jérôme Guedj among politicians who have formally declared their intentions for the 2027 election.