Brivael Le Pogam, co-founder of French AI company Argil, urged Americans on X not to vote for Democrats if they want to avoid what he described as France’s political and economic problems. His posts drew attention from conservative commentators and hedge fund manager Bill Ackman, who shared one of them.
Le Pogam argued that France’s public spending, taxes and regulation have contributed to mounting debt, strained hospitals and schools, housing costs and the departure of skilled workers. He cited public spending of nearly 57% of the country’s gross domestic product and said France has not balanced its budget since 1974. Those figures and his descriptions of the effects are claims made in his posts; the source material does not independently verify them.
In follow-up posts, Le Pogam contended that government-subsidized services such as health care, education and housing have become more expensive, and argued that expanding government programs can worsen the problems they are intended to solve. He also said he was not asking Democrats to change party affiliation, but urged them to consider what he called a pattern of government intervention.
In comments to Fox News Digital, Le Pogam said the response to his posts had been positive overall and expressed support for Republicans. He said he believes their platform better protects individual freedom and entrepreneurship.
The remarks are political advocacy by a private-sector executive, not a neutral assessment of French policy or a comparison independently established by the source material.
