OBAMA ENDORSES FRENCH CANDIDATE EMMANUEL MACRON

Former president Barack Obama, who is wildly popular in France, has formally endorsed French presidential hopeful Emmanuel Macron, an independent centrist he calls the candidate of “hope.”

The unusual endorsement by a former U.S. president in a foreign election amounts to something of a proxy fight with President Trump, who has spoken positively of right-wing candidate Marine Le Pen of the National Front party.

Obama’s remarks appear in a taped message posted on Macron’s “En Marche!” website.

“I have admired the campaign that Emmanuel Macron has run,” Obama said. “He has stood up for liberal values. He put forward a vision for the important role that France plays in Europe and around the world, and he is committed to a better future for the French people.”

In a reference to his own campaign, Obama said Macron “appeals to people’s hopes and not their fears.”

Trump told the Associated Press although he was not offering an endorsement, he thinks Le Pen is “strongest on borders, and she’s the strongest on what’s been going on in France.”

Le Pen and Macron face off Sunday in the final round of voting for president. The latest polls show Macron leading Le Pen by about 20 points.