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In recent events, far-right leaders in Europe are drawing inspiration from US President Donald Trump’s dynamic start to his second term, asserting that Europe should adopt similar strategies to ensure its resilience. This sentiment echoed through the halls of the “Make Europe Great Again” rally held in Madrid, where figures like Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and Italy’s Deputy Premier Matteo Salvini backed Trump’s stances on energy, immigration, and gender as blueprints for the EU.
“The whirlwind of change brought by Trump has reshaped global dynamics in a remarkably short time,” Orbán expressed to an enthusiastic crowd of around 2,000 attendees. “Yesterday, our ideas were seen as radical; today, they are becoming the norm.”
This rally took place shortly after Trump resumed office and coincided with a surge in support for Europe’s far-right factions following their unprecedented successes in the last EU elections. Marine Le Pen, head of France’s Rassemblement National party, noted the accelerated pace of history since Trump’s election. “We’re at a pivotal moment,” she stated, suggesting that the EU is currently in a state of shock over the sweeping political changes.
Key rally themes included robust criticism of “uncontrolled” immigration and calls to desist the EU’s clean energy initiatives, labeled as economically damaging to the region. Additionally, there was fierce opposition to so-called “woke” policies, with praise for Trump’s stance on gender recognition limited to two categories.
Geert Wilders, leader of the Netherlands’ Freedom Party, declared, “We will not capitulate to the extreme agenda of the woke left, nor to the imposed guilt of multiculturalism.” He went on to stress the European populace’s desire for a restoration of “sanity and moral clarity.”
Assembled under the banner of the Patriots for Europe group, now the third-largest alliance in the EU parliament, the event was orchestrated by Santiago Abascal, leader of Spain’s far-right Vox party.
However, the discussions omitted Trump’s contentious threats to levy tariffs on European imports to rectify what he describes as a trade deficit “atrocity” and his plans regarding resolution measures in Gaza. There was also no mention of Trump’s insistence on increased defense spending by European nations to lessen US dependency.
Former Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš, of the ANO party, critiqued the EU’s Green Deal policies aimed at combating climate change. Meanwhile, Ursula von der Leyen’s European Commission vowed to negotiate a balance between these policies and economic growth. Babiš dismissed the Green Deal as beyond reform, stating, “In Brussels, they act as if nothing’s changed… like Europe’s industries aren’t relocating overseas and millions aren’t caught in the grip of energy poverty.”
Touched upon was also the historical Spanish “reconquest” of territories once under Muslim rule during the Middle Ages. Orbán concluded by highlighting this as the type of spirited action Europe needs in today’s era.
