Le Pen Courts France’s Elite, Rattling the Far Right’s Old Guard

Marine Le Pen’s push to make France’s far right palatable to the country’s corporate and old-money elite is stirring tensions inside her party as it edges closer than ever to the presidency.

A new circle of advisers with elite pedigrees is asserting influence, adopting what some National Rally officials describe as a “know-it-all” style that grates on the old guard. Courting high society risks alienating the base who fueled the party’s rise and that has long been wary of financiers and high-powered networks, the officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity.