Anti-Trump, yes; anti-American, certainly not. And thank you, midterms

How did Donald Trump manage to become President of the United States of America for a second term? The storming of the Capitol by his supporters immediately after the election that brought his first term to an end would have been politically irreparable for anyone else; yet, four years on, here he is, back stronger and more defiant than ever. His election manifesto seemed to aim to return America to a sort of ‘splendid isolation’, yet, no sooner had he re-entered the White House than he began unleashing tariff wars and actual wars, treating traditionally friendly countries as enemies whilst currying favour with traditionally hostile ones. The man who was supposed to put an end to the conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza within a few weeks sent special forces to Venezuela to kidnap Maduro and aircraft to bomb Iran, with the result that, since 4 March, the Strait of Hormuz has been virtually closed; he has cheerfully struck deals with Putin for fuel supplies, whilst the Ukrainians continue to fight strenuously, increasingly on their own, and Gaza has practically sunk into its own rubble. Thanks to him, the geography and grammar of global power are now unrecognisable. After dealing terrible blows to the Atlantic Alliance, he has even begun to attack the Pope. But what on earth is Donald Trump up to?

Taking on what is almost an impossible task, Mattia Ferraresi has attempted to answer this question in a book, published a few months ago by Mondadori, whose title alone captures the full complexity and fascination of its content: Dentro la testa di Trump. Storia delle idee che non sa di avere. A book that is an absolute must-read. But that is not what I intend to discuss. Deeply saddened by an America which, after having subjected us to the ideological rubbish of woke culture, freely chooses to be governed by a figure such as Donald Trump, whose entourage is certainly no more reassuring; While I am pleased that in the mid-term elections the Americans sent their Administration a resounding signal that they’ve had enough, the question I wish to raise is another: what is going on in the minds of Donald Trump’s European opponents? There is no doubt that for some, who are sincerely attached to liberal-democratic culture and institutions, the current US Administration is a cause for deep concern. For them, Trump marks the end of a myth; it is as if America were no longer America. It will therefore be very difficult for them to come to terms with this loss. But for many others, this is not the case.

Lashing out at Trump gives them obvious satisfaction. They see in him the self-evident confirmation of their long-standing anti-American prejudice. We told you that America was evil. So much for the Atlantic Alliance. Europe must go it alone, seeking new international partners: Putin, Xi Jinping, Erdogan – anyone will do, except Trump. The anti-Americanism that once filled the streets in the name of communism or Third Worldism has given way to a more understated sense of smugness: there is no need to add anything; thanks to Trump, America is discrediting itself. Moreover, speaking ill of him is often a convenient excuse for avoiding discussion of what this abrupt shift in the American perspective means for us Europeans. Will we be able to maintain our liberal-democratic institutional frameworks, our welfare systems and our standard of living without the military protection that America has guaranteed us for decades? How much are we prepared to invest so that, should the need arise – God forbid – we can defend ourselves? For many anti-Trumpers, these are nonsensical questions. We heard this again following his mid-term election defeat: money should be invested in education and healthcare, not in weapons. Europe is in no danger. In fact, we must stop providing military aid to Ukraine and open negotiations with Putin. Who, however – as luck would have it – wants nothing to do with it. But who cares? What matters is saying it, looking good by calling for diplomatic resolutions to conflicts, and highlighting Trump’s disgrace whilst perhaps glossing over Putin and Xi Jinping.

I must confess that this way of thinking, typical of many anti-Trumpers, worries me just as much as Trump himself does. The latter, I repeat, is a sort of cataclysm that has befallen the Western world. But since the alternatives are Russian authoritarianism, Chinese dictatorship or Islamic fundamentalism, I simply cannot bring myself to be anti-American. Evidently, I belong to the ranks of those who are unable to come to terms with this loss. So much so that I hope Europe, whilst acknowledging that nothing will ever be the same again with America – particularly with regard to military defence – will never lose hope of maintaining a vital alliance. Let us hope that the blow the Americans themselves have dealt to their President will provide the impetus for this. But unfortunately, I fear that very few people still care about the fate of the West.