What Europe Can Learn from the American Election

In recent weeks, Europe has faced four major events—three of which occurred in the same week—that have unsettled many on the continent: the decisive victory of President-elect Donald J. Trump in the United States, the collapse of Germany’s coalition government, pogrom-like anti-Semitic violence in Amsterdam, and unprecedented flooding in parts of Spain. These events underscore the urgency for Europe to find its bearings on both internal and external affairs, including when it comes to anti-Semitism, radical Islam, and environmental policy. It is time to make Europe great again.

At the European Union summit in Budapest on November 7, 2024, French President Emmanuel Macron articulated the need for such a Make Europe Great Again (MEGA) movement:

“I think that our role here in the European Union is not to comment on the election of Donald Trump, to wonder if it is good or not. He was elected by the American people, and he is going to defend the interests of American people and that is legitimate and that is a good thing. The question is whether we are ready to defend the interests of Europeans.”

It is crucial, however, to contextualize the results of the American presidential election carefully and to draw reasonable conclusions for Europe. Many of Europe’s mainstream media pundits misinterpret President-elect Trump’s widespread appeal and the unpopularity of Vice President Kamala Harris, revealing not only a somewhat unfavorable view of the American public but also a broader blind spot regarding the interests of ordinary people. The prevailing narrative suggests that only a racist misogynist would have voted for the President-elect and that Vice President Harris’s failure to win is likewise attributed to racism and misogyny.