The victories of Trump and Milei place the European right at an ideological crossroads. Precisely in order to avoid falling behind, especially economically, the Old Continent urgently needs to draw on its own intellectual heritage.
Europe has a habit of importing American trends, for better or for worse. These influences are particularly obvious in ideological terms. First, we imported the left-wing identitarian fads from campuses across the Atlantic, which quickly infused our institutions and businesses. Today, however, the opposite is happening under the influence of Trumpism. Major American corporations, once champions of diversity and inclusion, are now taking over the media spaces dominated by the so-called «hard» right.» and disavow the progressive policies they so recently praised.
This paradigm shift remains all the more powerful because American tech pundits are generously feeding it. X's boss, Elon Musk, seems to have made it his mission to intervene in the European political debate by leading a crusade against the ’Woke and globalist agenda«. At the same time, the slogan »Make Europe Great Again« or the growing popularity of the slogan «Afuera!» (literally: «out!», to refer to public posts to be cut) by Argentine President Javier Milei reveal the permeability of populist rhetoric from across the Atlantic.
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It's a safe bet that, as the elections come and go, the temptation to draw inspiration from the successful strategies of Trump and Milei will increasingly win over a section of the right-wing, including the traditional right-wing, on the European continent. As these heads of state have successfully proclaimed themselves the great defenders of freedom, why not follow the same recipes here? To capitalize on this wave, it will be highly attractive to follow more or less openly in the wake of this caricatured, outrageous and variable-geometry liberalism.
European historical landmarks
While the election of these leaders could serve as an impetus for more ambitious and effective policies, giving in to these populist sirens would be tantamount to betraying a rich European political and intellectual heritage: that of a liberalism rooted in reason and debate. This tradition, nurtured by thinkers such as Alexis de Tocqueville, Karl Popper and Raymond Aron, has always associated economic freedom with the primacy of the rule of law and respect for civilized dialogue.
The technological and commercial challenges facing our continent are immense, if we are to avoid falling out of step with the other major blocs. However, to ape the positions of Trump or Milei - systematic rejection of environmental policies, allergy to state administration, crude rhetoric... - would impoverish European liberalism in both form and substance. We have better models to call on. They are to be found more in the history of this Old Continent than in the rest of the contemporary world.
Write to the author: pablo.sanchez@leregardlibre.com
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