Washington DC - President Donald Trump's administration said Monday it was "concerning" to exclude candidates from politics, in response to a French court's ruling against French far-right leader Marine Le Pen.

"We have got to do more as the West than just talk about democratic values. We must live them," State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce told reporters when asked about Le Pen.

"Exclusion of people from the political process is particularly concerning given the aggressive and corrupt lawfare waged against President Trump here in the United States," Bruce said.

"We support the right of everyone to offer their views in the public square – agree or disagree."

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She made note of Vice President JD Vance's speech at the Munich Security Conference in February in which he stunned many Europeans by calling on Germany to end its shunning of the far-right AfD party.

Bruce said she would not comment directly on the case against Le Pen but disputed a journalist's description of her as "far-right," saying the term may be "derogatory."

Le Pen, considered a leading candidate in the 2027 presidential election, was found guilty by a French court on Monday of embezzlement of European Parliament expenses and banned from running for public office.

Trump, who has forged bonds with Le Pen in part over their hard lines on immigration, has been the target of a slew of court cases.

The Senate could have banned him from running for president, but did not muster the votes, after he was impeached over the violent riot by his supporters as he refused to accept his loss in the 2020 election.