Foreign undemocratic interference in the European Union is not new but illiberal influence originating from the US – a formal ally – at the current scale is unprecedented. Since the re-election of Donald Trump as US president in autumn 2024, a variety of actors in the broader Make America Great Again (MAGA) universe have become active in cultivating ties with like minded European allies – parties and organizations – seeking influence within the European Union.
On December 10, our experts and fellows: Adam Balcer, Zsuzsana Végh, Agnieszka Bryc, Guillem Ripoll, Pola Cebulak, and Sophie Pornschleger, who served as discussant, gathered in the European Parliament for a debate focused on the developing ties between MAGA and European far-right parties. The debate was organized within the project “Protecting European Values ” co-funded by the European Commission and hosted by the MEP René Repasi from the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats (S&D).
The debate was built around the main theses of the report created by Agnieszka Bryc Zsuzsanna Végh and Adam Balcer “The Global Convergence of Illiberalisms: The EU between MA(E)GA and Russia” . The report takes up on three important factors. First one is democracy regression in the US in the last fifteen years, intensified after the reelection of Donald Trump as the president. The process is intensified by economic inequality and oligarchization of power. The phenomenon has its deep roots in the idea of ethnic democracy – the system where democracy is mostly formal but in reality favors the dominant ethnic group.
The second part of the report focuses on how the MAGA ecosystem, including the Trump administration, political advisors, and think tanks, seek to actively influence European politics. Their toolkit includes the dissemination of anti-immigration and „anti-woke” narratives as well as the establishment of organizational networks in order to support European far-right partners. While the record of the Trump administration’s impact over the past year is mixed, and the European domestic context remains the main factor behind the performance of the far right across Europe, the cooperation is increasingly established, expansive, and ambitious, seeking to weaken commitment to liberal values on the continent.
Lastly, the report takes up the topic of Russian being the catalyst of the world illiberal trend. Fostering disinformation and financially supporting illiberal movements promotes it as an ideological model for countries. The Russian regime serves as a reference point both for the American alt-right and European far-right.
Beyond exploring the developing connections and their potential impact on European politics, the participants of the debate also discussed potential avenues to strengthen democratic resilience in Europe in the evolving transatlantic context. The discussion touched on the importance of democratic education and a democratic ethos in the civil service, the need of strengthening institutional integrity in the EU, countering interference into domestic affairs, and developing narratives and policy responses that build on Europe’s strengths and provide an appealing vision to the wider public for a democratic future.
Co-financed by the National Freedom Institute – Centre for Civil Society Development in the framework of the Civil Society Organisations Development Programme for 2018-2030 CSODev
