Trump’s decisive victory in the recent US Presidential election is one of the century. A disruptive political outsider, impeached twice, criminally prosecuted, hated by the mainstream media and hysterically portrayed as racist, fascist, Putin’s puppet, a threat to democracy, who spent half as much campaign funds as his opponent – and, yet he won, achieving the greatest GOP presidential election result in 36 years.
I am not surprised by the election results*. The American people dismissed the elites’ attempt to control their lives through the media, Hollywood celebrities, and Big Tech. They saw their freedoms threatened by politicized federal institutions, ideological restrictions, and government-inflicted DEI insanity. They feared for their safety endangered by open borders and selective justice. America’s freedom and common sense won, and Donald Trump was their voice. And now, it seems that even Trump’s greatest foes are ready to pay tribute to the man who “dismantled the system”.
It is interesting to see the post-election reaction of the rest of the world. Of course, we cannot expect America’s enemies to be happy about Trump’s presidential return. “Peace Through Strength” – CCP, Putin, and the ayatollahs are carefully changing gears in anticipation of the second term. But is it much different from America’s closest allies, with whom we share history, culture, and values? EU political leaders and media were rooting for Harris, yet cautiously assuming the eventuality of Trump’s presidential return. Studies revealed much higher pro-Harris support in Europe (more than 60%) compared to the polls in the US (“tied” up to the election day). For the Europeans, the top three issues in assessing Trump were his character and personality, the lawsuits and impeachments, and foreign policy concerns (Ukraine war, NATO controversy). In turn, Americans regarded the most important inflation/prices, immigration, and jobs/economy. Why do we see things differently? Why do Americans feel their constitutional republic endangered by Biden/Harris globalist agenda, while Europeans embrace the media’s “Trump is a threat to democracy” talking points? For what reason does the American majority perceive the allowance and escalation of the Russia–Ukrainian war as a bloody political and corruption scheme **, as opposed to Europe’s uncritical acceptance of the ruling class/mainstream media’s narrative?
I am looking at the American Constitution and the Declaration of Independence. Four pages of the Constitution (twenty-one with all amendments), and one page of the Declaration explain more about the values and the character of the nation than all recent election polls and political commentaries combined. America was founded by people who did not dream of having a government but were forced to create one – to secure their “God-given rights of Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness”. The Constitution was not meant to dictate how the people live, but instead – the intended guarantee that their government cannot do so. Article 1, Section 8 of the Constitution comprehensively lists all the powers of the Congress. The 2nd Amendment affirms the citizens’ right to bear arms and protect themselves and their property from the government and other threats. The 1st Amendment forbids the government to interfere with the freedom of religion and the freedom of speech. The Mayflower Compact’s principles of self-government, liberty, and law, and the Pilgrims’ determination to live and worship free of government interference are embodied in a few clear, comprehensible pages, thus cementing the American understanding of limited government and immutable individual freedoms.
It is not so clear in Europe. How to define the Constitution of the EU? You should read a series of treaties (from Maastricht, Rome, Lisbon), rulings of the Court of Justice of the European Union, The Charter of Fundamental Rights, and much more … Thousands of pages of political incantations, strict legal language, and clarifying declarations. Regarding individual freedoms – you must study the European Convention of Human Rights and the jurisprudence of the European Court of Human Rights. Article 10 of the Convention briefly defines the Freedom of Expression and then handles the government with practically unfettered authority to restrict it for every plausible pretext. Inspiring? The startling volume of legal documents defining and regulating the EU corresponds to the size of the bureaucracy that implements them. Thus, the “swamp” in Brussels makes ours in Washington DC look like a mountain creek. It is not very different with the national governments of EU members. Who expects those people to like Vivek, Elon, and Donald?
The different approaches to the concepts of Government and individual freedoms on both sides of the Atlantic have led to different results. For the last 250 years, after bloodshed, revolutions, wars, Nazism, Holocaust, and Communism, Europe evolved into an elaborate power structure, meant to keep the peace and prosperity in the Old Continent. The core of this elitist project, envisioned and led by politicians and experts, are compromise and unanimity, diplomacy and negotiation – at all costs. The current price is significant – centralization and bureaucracy, overregulation and ineffectiveness, insignificance on the world scene, politically inflicted migrant invasion, and recently – a bloody war at the Eastern border of the EU. Unpreventable, and all Putin’s fault? Those publicly doubting it, risk being charged under Disinformation and Hate Speech laws. Despite all this – a few are concerned about the government’s power and overreach, and devaluation of individual freedoms. Thus, America’s revolt against the Biden/Harris regime’s effort to impose a similar political reality in the US is incomprehensible in Europe, and Trump is ridiculed and vilified.
Within the same time, America became the world superpower. Not because of a better political ruling class, stronger government economic policies, or more taxpayers’ money spent on social, cultural, and educational programs. On the contrary – political elitism is still unacceptable to most Americans, the Commerce Clause of the US Constitution sets boundaries for government regulations of business, and the American way to help those in need and impact the society is still mainly through private organizations. What makes the difference is America’s concept of freedom. The freedom, for which the Pilgrims were ready to die rather than live under the King’s bondage. For that freedom the Colonists risked it all, emerging against the greatest empire in the world. The same freedom transformed the remote British colonies into a powerful nation that saved Europe and the World from Nazism and Communism, sent a spaceship to the Moon, and is preparing to launch the first human mission to Mars.
I feel my Trump-hating friends hissing “… what happened with the party of Reagan?”. Well, the party of Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King, and Ronald Reagan is exactly where it should be – next to the American people. Some forty years ago, the leftist media and Soviet propaganda portrayed another great American as a second-rate actor, unfit for the office of the President, and a war hawk who would set the world on fire. Yet Reagan won the Cold War without firing a shot. And here we are again – facing a new American era of freedom, prosperity, and success, named after the man who embodies our nation’s spirit and Exceptionalism. A true hero, and the face of a great American story for the generations to come, written by “We, The People”.
From the same author:
* https://www.thethinkingconservative.com/trump-the-icon/
** https://www.thethinkingconservative.com/ukrainian-rhapsody/
