Obama Speaks With Marine Le Pen’s Leading Opponent Days Ahead Of First French Presidential Election Round

ABC News reports:

Former President Barack Obama spoke to French Presidential candidate Emmanuel Macron on Thursday, but “an endorsement was not the purpose of the call,” Obama’s spokesman said in a statement.

However, “President Obama remains deeply committed” to France “as a close ally of the United States, and as a leader on behalf of liberal values in Europe and around the world,” Obama spokesman Kevin Lewis said.

The French will go to the polls on Sunday for a first-round vote that could be as consequential as the U.K.’s “Brexit” vote and the election of President Donald Trump. Lewis said that Obama would not be “making any formal endorsement” ahead of the vote.

A spokesperson for Macron confirmed the call, saying, “Obama talked about his strong links with France and the importance of the ties between the two countries.” “They also discussed about the future of Europe and the progressive values that they both share,” Macron’s spokesperson said.