In less than three months of his second term, President Trump has the full attention of the American public. This time, he holds high approval ratings. After eight years of chanting “fascist”, “racist”, “threat to democracy”, “Putin’s puppet”, there is nothing more the media can do to further inspire the “resistance”. Most of the public is happy to see someone in Washington finally doing their job.
It is a different feeling in Europe. Eight years after the premiere, the audience here rediscovers the “Villain Trump” drama, playing it to “heights” not reached in the domestic scene.
Why is this happening now? I wrote about the political differences between the two sides of the Atlantic, but the recent events require a deeper look into some important details.
What is happening with freedom of speech in Europe? The public trashed JD Vance’s speech in Munich earlier this year. They don’t see a problem with the growing number of “hate speech” and “disinformation” laws empowering the Government as a final authority on what speech is allowed. The European press and TV news resemble those in the US, just without the conservative ones. The ultimate result of the one-sided media reality is a European audience like the viewers of CNN and MSNBC, with almost the same “plurality” of opinions regarding Trump’s presidency.
What about European reverence for Government and the elites? Here, they have always been an emanation of the nation, its pride, and a sacred symbol. In recent centuries, European history has been a constant transformation of national elites. Republics inherit monarchies, democracies replace dictatorships, but an upper class is always at the top of the pyramid. In this reality, “populism” is a dirty word, and becoming a part of the elite is seen as a supreme achievement.
I have personally experienced the perfidious grip of European elitist self-empowerment. It begins with the political parties – elaborate structures with complex hierarchies, strict procedural rules, and rigorous disciplinary provisions. Election rules are based mostly on proportional electoral systems that heavily favor parties’ leadership, shady practices, and a collectivistic mindset. You cannot expect to be elected for public office without being a political party member, accepting their program, securing a favorable position on the party’s ballot, and your party passing the respective bar (usually 3-5% of the votes). A triumph of collectivism, ideology, and groupthink – at the expense of independent minds, practicality, and common sense.
Seeing this as a huge problem, more than 15 years ago, I founded the “Citizens Justice Initiative” in Bulgaria, trying to change how the elite run the Government. It was not only the unfair voting system. Following the prevailing European model, an intricately constructed body appoints all judges and prosecutors without any chance for the people to have a say – that’s why we advocated for elections for some magistrates. We campaigned against excessive and arbitrary state fees, filing dozens of lawsuits. As an attorney, I defended the “Alternative Synod” of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church, persecuted by the Government, as their churches were taken by force by the police in 2004. We were vocal critics of countless government regulatory agencies that waste taxpayers’ money. In 2010, our “Citizens Justice Initiative” protested the visit of Putin in Bulgaria, at a time when the European political establishment openly flirted with the dictator. We criticized the media for its blatant servitude to those in power. It was clear to me that the rigged elections, selective justice, political corruption, and the media’s bias have a common underlying cause – the way the elite exercises power, totally ignoring the will of the people.
Has something changed in Europe over all those years? In my home country, I see fellow attorneys endure arbitrary court fees and the deceptive design of the judicial system, yet they clap at the political lawfare against Trump in the US. Anonymous financial “experts”, working all their lives for the Government, debunk Trump’s tariffs and economic policies. Former defenders of religious freedom are now praising Zelenskyy, who banned the Russia-linked Ukrainian Orthodox Church in 2024. In recent months, I see many have finally found their political passion and something to fight for – “Glory to Ukraine”, “Death to Putin”, and “F— Trump”. Suddenly, all those newborn political zealots are fully aware of American politics, stock exchange, and world economics. In all these topics, though, they are on the same side as those in the US who want the deported criminals back, support gender-affirming surgeries for minors, and applaud “Molotov cocktails” on Tesla dealerships. “Hands Off” and “Defending Democracy”? What democracy? The one that silences dissenters as “neo-Nazis and Russian proxies” (AfD in Germany), blocks political opponents from standing for office (Marine Le Pen in France), outright annuls elections results (Romania), or pulls the strings of an incapacitated fella in the White House (Biden)?
In this anti-American hysteria, I see ignorance and a guilty conscience of people on whose approving watch the elites led the once great Europe to an identity crisis, deindustrialization, energy dependence, military vulnerability, and political insignificance. Decades of entrusting the most important decisions to unelected bureaucrats have led to a catastrophe that requires life-saving surgery. Still in denying mode, the affected are angry with the messenger. Instead of fighting to reverse the free fall of the EU, the anti-American chanters in Europe are mad at those who dared to save their union.
Back then, in Europe, I called my public activity “restoring the sovereignty of the People.” At that time, I thought its lack was just a local phenomenon, having no idea that in the US, the people are fighting the “swamp.”
It did not take me long to understand that there had rarely been a “people’s sovereignty” in Europe. Instead, a constant transformation of the elites who “know best”. Getting to know America, I realized that only here the Founding Fathers, fearing a repeat of European governance models, created a “new Form of Government”, free of “abuses, usurpation… and Despotism”. Regarding freedom, there are only two forms of Government – “We the People” or “On Behalf of the People”. That’s why today, Europe and China, gradually evolving from very different starting points decades ago, have reached a similar state: government-controlled economies, restricted freedom of speech, ideologically driven ruling class, and anti-American mentality. CCP and Soviet Politburo might seem different from the World Economic Forum and Open Society Foundations. Yet, they all mean the same: small but highly organized elites rule over the masses.
Today, Europe faces a fateful choice—not the one about the war in Ukraine, Romanian elections, or even Trump’s tariffs. It is the choice to break the rule of the elites, whose failures led the Old Continent to bloody revolutions and two world wars, and who are now dragging it towards economic and civilizational catastrophe.
It is the choice to return to the path of freedom, common sense, and Rule of the People, thus making the 450-millionth giant a leader of the free world. Not against, but with America, bringing freedom and prosperity all around the globe.
