Trump as a much-needed wake-up call for Europe
Europe needs to get its act together, says political scientist Piotr Buras in Polityka:
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“As prime minister of the country that takes over the EU Council Presidency at the start of next year, Donald Tusk could pay a joint visit to Washington with the leaders of Germany and France (the Weimar Triangle) and the European Commission, and lay the foundations for a new transatlantic agreement. A serious offer based on credible commitments from the Europeans could be attractive even to a Trump administration. Who knows where this might lead. Many believe that only Trump's return to the White House would give the Europeans the shock they need to overcome the political impotence that is weakening them today.”
Bleak prospects for Ukraine
If Trump wins the election, Kyiv will have to prepare for significant changes in Ukraine policy, warns NV:
“The only thing that can now be predicted with great certainty is that the Trump team will initiate and push forward negotiations to end the war between Russia and Ukraine. It is unlikely that these negotiations will be about Russia's terms. That would seem like a clear defeat for the US. There are several indications that Trump is aware of this. The most likely scenario is that Trump's team will push proposals to end the fighting in Ukraine, but that there will be no agreements on the status of the occupied territories or on other Russian demands that we find unacceptable.”
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Inevitable weakening of Europe
The Republicans' choice of Trump and Vance is a warning signal for Europe, De Standaard complains:
“Trump and Vance will dismiss as a minor European problem the fact that a deal with an untrustworthy and bellicose Putin will lead to major unrest in the Baltic states and countries like Poland. And the same applies to the impotence of EU powerhouses like France and Germany when it comes to getting a strengthened Putin under control. With Trump and Vance in the White House, a weakening of Europe is inevitable. European leaders can only hope that Joe Biden makes a miraculous recovery or that the Democrats swiftly replace him with a fit candidate who has a decent chance of winning against the Trump and Vance steamroller.”
Firmly on the populism path
The Republicans have abandoned moderate politics, observes Népszava:
“By selecting [Vance], Trump has chosen a blindly loyal soldier, a watchdog and protector that not only barks but also bites. Vance's nomination has completed the takeover of the Republican Party, because it sends a clear message to all party members: they should forget the moderate politics of Reagan and Bush and from now on support the populist sect 'Make America Great Again', the alliance between an unscrupulous old swindler and a young man with boundless ambition.”
Strange characters in starring roles
Delfi comments:
“The next US president will probably be an old TV presenter and opportunistic businessman with a bad temper, bad taste and theatrical slogans who knows more about golf courses than geography. The bar isn't very high: all Donald Trump has to do is remember his own name and that of his wife and instinctively raise his fist after an assassination attempt to call on his supporters to continue the fight. Winston Churchill, former British prime minister and hero of the nation, was an alcoholic. Ronald Reagan, the winner of the Cold War, was a mediocre Hollywood star and trade unionist. Sometimes the big roles go to strange actors.”
The Eurozone is in for a shock
Les Echos warns of the dangers of a second Trump presidency:
“Europe would not only suffer geopolitically. Most analysts expect massive fiscal spending with inflationary effects. The increased protectionism evoked in Trump's programme would have massive consequences for exports to the US from countries like Germany and Italy. And this at a time when Chinese consumers are buying Chinese products. ... Finally, Donald Trump in office means the certainty of a devalued dollar. ... All in all, the Eurozone will be in for a negative external shock if Trump makes good on just half of what he is promising. Not to mention the fight against global warming: the bulk of the regulations would be lifted and electric cars would no longer be subsidised - in contrast to all fossil fuels.”
Vance as vice a smart move
La Repubblica comments:
“The choice of Vance makes it harder for Democrats to attack Trump's Grand Old Party ticket. Born into poverty in Ohio, Vance is the author of the best-selling biography Hillbilly Elegy featuring the country bumpkin Vance, who, thanks to his self-sacrificing grandmother, manages to get a law degree at Yale University, something other hillbillies would never even dream of. ... While his peers, from the from the Appalachian mountains to the suburbs of Cincinnati and Middletown, end up as victims of drugs and fentanyl - unemployed, divorced, alcoholic, victims of post-traumatic stress - Vance lived the old American dream of pulling himself up by the bootstraps and joining the Marines.”
No sign of a conciliatory stance
A moderate tone cannot be expected from Vance, who was once a Trump critic, notes De Standaard:
“Vance opportunistically reinvented himself and became a kind of intellectual planner and spokesman for Trumpism. This earned him something very unusual: Trump forgave him. With Vance as his running mate, Trump is not opting for moderation or reconciliation even after the attempt on his life. Vance said on Monday that Biden's rhetoric according to which Donald Trump is an authoritarian fascist 'led directly to Trump's attempted assassination'.”
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