A member of The Republicans (LR), he previously was a special advisor to President Nicolas Sarkozy from 2007 until the latter's retirement from politics following the 2012 election.

Guaino was responsible for writing the Dakar address which Sarkozy delivered in 2007 and was criticised for being patronising towards the African continent.

On 3 September 2012, he unexpectedly announced his intention to run for the presidency of the Union for a Popular Movement (UMP).

Guaino stated that his aim was to represent the Gaullist component of the UMP's heritage in this internal election, Gaullism, a way forward for France, a movement within the party he co-founded.

[2] In the movie La Conquête (The Conquest), staging Nicolas Sarkozy's life from his appointment at the Ministry of the Interior in 2002 to his election in 2007, Guaino is played by Michel Bompoil.