"Vazrazhdane" in Bulgaria and other populist and far-right parties in Europe could hardly hide their joy over Trump's victory in the US elections. Recently, however, the American president has become a problem for them.
"To the great relief of the free world, Donald Trump won" - this is how Kostadin Kostadinov commented on the results of the US elections in 2024.
The representatives of "Vazrazhdane" could hardly hide their enthusiasm for the election of the new US administration, which turned towards warming relations with Russia, open war with the so-called liberal agenda and sharp criticism of the EU. Kostadinov boasted that he was invited to Trump's inauguration, suggested that we accept the dollar instead of the euro, and representatives of his party took pictures in front of the Capitol and said that they were visiting the Republican Party.
In recent months, and especially after February 28, however, "Vazrazhdane" has had a serious problem with Trump, whom until recently it considered its big trump card (trump in English means "trump"). A problem that most right-wing populists in Europe are also facing - allying with the American president is increasingly becoming a losing card.
The war against Iran has put Kostadinov in a dilemma. On the one hand, sympathies for Trump are still present, on the other - years of criticism of American military intervention in other countries, the sharp positioning against Israel in Gaza and the flirtation with the brutal regime in Tehran do not allow this conflict to be justified. Therefore, the leader of "Vazrazhdane" recently defines Israel's actions against Iran as "terrorism" and expresses "regret" that the US was "brought into it".
"I sympathized with Trump so much, but..."
"I sympathized with him so much, but with these lies that he will stop the war in Ukraine, how he took Maduro, and now Iran, the world economy is collapsing... I also forgot about Greenland," writes a follower of DW Bulgarian on Instagram. A feeling shared by many.
First, the tariffs against Europe were a clear signal of the end of the partnership with the US, known for decades. The unrhythmic attempt to waltz with Putin regarding Ukraine demonstrated the impossibility of dealing with this conflict, for which Joe Biden and the Democrats were supposedly to blame. The appetites for Greenland quite logically gave rise to fear. Maduro's abduction was accompanied by a refusal to overthrow the regime and support the opposition. Instead, Trump spoke mainly about access to the country's oil, thus acknowledging out loud something that America's critics like "Vazrazhdane" and Kostadinov have been trumpeting for years - that the goal of American intervention in other countries is their resources and nothing more.
Donald Trump is becoming an increasingly serious thorn in the side of Europeans, including voters of far-right, pro-Russian, anti-globalist and anti-system parties, who until recently considered him their ally. With his disregard for international law and the military conflicts he starts, he is becoming the embodiment of what they have until recently accused the US of - sometimes conspiratorially and without evidence. And politicians who have been happy to maintain ties with the MAGA movement and the White House administration are now trying to distance themselves.
An example of this is the German "Alternative for Germany" (AfD). In recent weeks, the party's leaders, who until recently praised Trump, demonstrated closeness to the movement around him and even invited people like Elon Musk to their election events, are demanding that AfD representatives limit their contacts with the Republican Party in the United States.
This week, deputies from the German far-right party were supposed to have dinner with a representative of the State Department and the American embassy, "Politico" revealed. But AfD leader Alice Weidel advised them to limit meetings with American diplomats and politicians, and the dinner was canceled.
This is currently a very important maneuver for parties like the "Alternative for Germany", because Donald Trump has managed to bury Europeans' trust in the United States. According to recent surveys, only 15% of Germans still consider the country a reliable partner.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni also made no secret of her good relations with Trump. On the contrary - in recent months, European leaders have relied on her as a kind of bridge between Brussels and Washington. A number of observers in Italy now say that this closeness to Trump, who is also seen by the majority of Italians as a problem and a threat, is among the main reasons she lost the referendum on judicial reform that took place this week.
"Meloni's proximity to the American president is rooted in ideological proximity: she shares the views of American conservatives that Western civilization is a community based on tradition, religion, as well as cultural and ethnic homogeneity", writes Ricardo Alcaro in "The Guardian" in this regard. Against this background, "the central regions of Italy, traditionally left-leaning, and the large cities, where opposition to Trump is more widespread, recorded the highest voter turnout".
Orbán - Trump's last loyal ally in the EU
The rapprochement with Donald Trump has become a serious obstacle for far-right and populist parties in Europe. Because the actions of the US president not only contradict his campaign promises, but also often embody that demonic image that anti-globalists have attributed to the Democrats for years. The fact has become more and more clear that a world order based on international law, human rights, and a value alliance between transatlantic partners is paying off for Europeans - both in terms of security and economy.
That is why everyone is gradually backing away from Trump, one by one. The last unconditionally loyal ally of the US president is Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who is facing an almost certain loss in the upcoming elections in the country. For Orban, there is simply no other way out in the isolated situation he has placed himself in in Europe. Similar cries are still being heard on the EU's eastern border. They come from both Kostadinov, who tries to downplay American intervention in Iran, and Delyan Peevski, who daily declares himself to be Trump's most loyal ally in Bulgaria. It is no coincidence that only two countries in the EU have asked to become part of the Peace Council - Orbán's Hungary and Peevski's Bulgaria.