Whether you like it or not, President-elect Donald Trump’s clear and sweeping victory is an astounding expression of democracy. Looking back at the last two decades of American and European politics, there are lessons to be learned if we want to make a difference in our citizens’ lives, writes ALDE Party and Renew Europe Vice-President Dan Barna, Member of the European Parliament’s Delegation for relations with the US.
This article was originally published in ALDE Party's Liberal Bulletin in December 2024. Click here to read the full publication.
First, conventional wisdom no longer applies to present-day politics.
After President Obama’s victory in 2008, everyone was hailing that the United States had entered a post-racial era. Then Trump was elected, leading pundits to proclaim that the Democrats must bring forward a new generation of politicians. Yet President Biden won the election at age 78. On January 7, 2021, Trump was all but "politically dead, never again to set foot in the Capitol or even in Washington." Now, America has elected Trump again.
Second, remember the opening scene of the acclaimed series “The Newsroom”, when Will McAvoy (brilliantly played by Jeff Daniels) rants about how "America is not the greatest country in the world"? At one point, he turns to the liberal panel guest and asks, "If liberals are so smart, how come they lose so goddamn often?"
During the 2024 campaign, American liberals ignored legitimate concerns and problems that citizens wanted solved. Issues such as immigration and inflation were treated as if they weren’t real. In these elections, Trump represented a candidate of change, contrasting with an administration seemingly incapable of improving people’s lives and, more importantly, incapable of listening to them when they voiced their problems.
And don’t think for a second that there was any doubt about what Trump stands for. Even more astonishing are his approval ratings; since his election in 2016, Trump’s approval has risen from 30% to 50%. In the 2024 elections, US and European voters demonstrated their willingness to look past "bad" traits in search of someone promising action. Do we feel that liberals performed well in this year’s EU elections?
Third, the world is not coming to an end. Whether we like it or not, US citizens made their choice, and respecting that choice is our duty. We may disagree on policy and politics, but we all have to coexist on this planet.
This new version of Trump seems more organized and appears to come to the White House with an actual agenda. What can we do in the meantime? What everyone says we should do: become strategically autonomous.
But we didn’t need Trump’s re-election in order to act. A strong EU is our objective, regardless of who sits in the White House. We criticized Trump during his first term for urging European nations to fulfil their NATO obligations instead of living up to them.
A strong Union is a valuable partner to the US and its president, benefiting not only us but also our neighbouring countries, especially war-ridden Ukraine.
For liberals, the work for the next election starts now. There are important lessons to be learned from Trump. He decided to run for re-election immediately after his last defeat, as discussed in Bob Woodward’s book “War”. This is no time to wallow in sorrow; if we want to matter again, we must engage and act.