Macron’s appeal for a strong alliance vs. Trump nationalism
In Europe recently, I watched the struggle between far-right populist nationalists and those who believe in a united, democratic Europe — one allied with the United States.
That struggle was reflected in President Donald Trump and French President Emmanuel Macron’s speeches in Normandy on the D-Day 75th anniversary. Both praised the heroism of those who stormed the beaches, including vets in their 90s who were in attendance.
But Trump never mentioned the postwar institutions the U.S. built to bind Western democracies together after World War II — a deliberate omission, given Trump’s disdain for most multilateral organizations.
Macron, however, urged Trump to embrace the Western alliance, including NATO and the European Union, as guarantors of the freedoms those veterans fought for. “Being worthy of the promise of Normandy,” said Macron, “means never forgetting that free people, when they join forces, can surmount any challenge.”
Trump’s resistance to Macron’s message will cost Europeans dearly. And Americans, too.
As Trump spoke, Russia’s Vladimir Putin and China’s Xi Jinping were meeting in St. Petersburg, Russia, strengthening an alliance to push back U.S. influence and power.
Moscow and Beijing are active in space and masters of cyberwarfare, which Russia uses to prod democracies’ weak spots. A Russian jet recently buzzed a U.S. military plane and a Russian and U.S. warship nearly collided.
Meantime, the White House is asking Western allies not to purchase equipment from Chinese telecom giant Huawei for next-generation 5G systems — for security reasons.
It’s a critical moment when the Western alliance should pull together against new threats — as WWII victors intended.
Instead, Trump speaks of an alliance of separate “nations” and derides NATO as a drain on America’s resources, rather than a U.S.-led organization sharing values of democracy, freedom and rule of law.
Yet Macron passionately pleaded with Trump to reengage in a multilateral struggle for democracy’s future. Macron said, turning to Trump, “The United States of America is never greater than when it shows its loyalty … to the universal values that the Founding Fathers defended.”
Macron knows Trump is uninterested in perpetuating America’s role as global champion of democratic values.
In Europe, Trump cheers on farright populist nationalist leaders — including Hungary’s Viktor Orban — who share Trump’s impatience with press freedom and a free judiciary. And on his state visit to London last week, Trump met with Nigel Farage, the Brexit Party leader who promotes leaving the EU with no trade deal, which will gravely weaken America’s closest European ally.
These European nationalist leaders, in turn, flatter Trump, and see his success as encouraging their political trend.
Yet there’s an even worse similarity. At a London Brexit Party rally, Farage falsely promised a no-deal Brexit in October, and greater economic strength than ever.
In Italy, Interior Minister Matteo Salvini called for a “Trump-style revolution” — pledging to lower taxes, while building infrastructure and creating jobs — impossible given Italy’s staggering debt.
When lying populists fail to deliver, things may get nastier.
Never since WWII has American leadership been so vital to our allies.
Listening to Trump’s speech, it was clear he never read Ronald Reagan’s remarks on the 40th anniversary of DDay, whose principles Macron echoed.
“The American security guarantee is essential to the continued freedom of Europe’s democracies,” Reagan said. “We’ve learned that isolationism never was and never will be an acceptable response to tyrannical governments with an expansionist intent.”