The view from over there
When Donald Trump ignominiously stepped into Joe Biden’s considerably larger shoes last 20 January, he inherited an economy that was the envy of the world. He assumed an office that was admired and celebrated worldwide for its efficacy, its justice and its fairness. In just 51 days he has demolished that enviable economy, made a laughingstock of that admiration and rendered the office of the president inefficient, unjust and ridiculous.
When you live inside the vast borders of the United States, the attitude of the world can feel theoretical and remote. But I live in the world outside, and I can tell you that the shift in attitude is tangible.
Not only is Trump seen elsewhere as a calamity for America, he has united America’s allies against him and transformed ordinary politicians into national heroes. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and, respectively, outgoing and incoming Canadian Prime Ministers Justin Trudeau and Mark Carney are all enjoying unprecedented approval ratings. Elsewhere the European Union has been galvanised into action against Trump. Europe is addressing the palpable threat that its once greatest ally is suddenly its enemy, and a friend of murderous dictators.
Few have expressed it better than French Senator Claude Malhuret. Last week he delivered a speech to the French Senate that captured the current reality, a reality that Europe and the rest of the free world watches in horror. “Washington has become the court of Nero,” he said, “a fiery emperor, submissive courtiers and a ketamine-fueled jester in charge of purging the civil service. This is a tragedy for the free world, but it is first and foremost a tragedy for the United States.”
The runaway sycophancy of MAGA to its toad-god is baffling to Europe. Trump’s apparent allure does not translate well into French, German or British English. By what mechanism has Trump convinced millions of Americans that turning their backs on their allies and embracing their enemies is a good thing? No one of consequence in Europe is impressed with Trump. All Trump gets is a snub, because when NATO met to discuss Ukraine in Paris, Trump was not invited.
As Malhuret put it, “Never in history has a President of the United States capitulated to the enemy. Never has anyone supported an aggressor against an ally. Never has anyone trampled on the American Constitution, issued so many illegal decrees, dismissed judges who could have prevented him from doing so, dismissed the military general staff in one fell swoop, weakened all checks and balances, and taken control of social media.”
Many Americans don’t fully understand that Ukraine, while a valuable and democratic nation in its own right, is not the only issue here. Ukraine is a symbol of the rest of Europe, and if Ukraine falls, so will other European nations within Russia’s grasp. “The defeat of Ukraine would be the defeat of Europe,” Malhuret said. “The Baltic States, Georgia, Moldova, are already on the list. Putin’s goal is to return to Yalta, where half the continent was ceded to Stalin.”
Trump hasn’t only caused economic and social havoc in the United States, he has imperilled the world. The safeguards against Russian aggression have been removed. The view from Europe is that Trump is marching to Putin’s orders, and he does so as if it’s something to be proud of. It’s scarcely to be believed.
I join French Senator Claude Malhuret in saying, “Long live free Ukraine, long live democratic Europe.” I’m particularly keen to promote that message. Who knows, one day a certain unelected South African fascist might call me a “traitor” for repeating such revolutionary ideas. I can only hope.
Robert Harrington is an American expat living in Britain. He is a portrait painter.