Atlantic alliance of hate: Donald Trump and the European far right
Atlantic alliance of hate: Donald Trump and the European far right
Trump is importing Europe's right-wing white nationalism and it's different from standard-issue U.S. racism
Amanda Marcotte Saturday, Jan 28, 2017 06:00 AM CST
Nigel Farage; Donald Trump; Marine Le Pen (Credit: Getty/Dan Kitwood/AP/Mary Altaffer/Getty/Thierry Chesnot)
Beirich credits much of the European tilt to Trumps ideology to White House strategist Steve Bannon, former head of the right-wing website Breitbart News, which he used to channel European white nationalism to an American audience. Bannon has been explicit in his enthusiasm for building an international coalition of right-wing radicals, and his site often provided glowing coverage to anti-immigration and white nationalist movements in Europe.
This enthusiasm for an international white nationalist movement may also help explain why Trump seems to feel so positively toward Russian president Vladimir Putin, apparently dismissing all concerns over Russias oppressive crackdown on human rights and its military aggression.
In Trumps eyes, the enemy isnt Russia, Will Saletan of Slate wrote in December. Its the part of America that opposes him.
That bizarre set of priorities suggests that Trump doesnt view the presidency as most, if not all, presidents before him have. He isnt really a traditional head of state, here to represent all Americans to the world. Hes the vanguard of the American branch of an international white nationalist movement, and as such is likely put the preferences of European right-wing radicals ahead of the national interests of his fellow citizens. His wide-ranging attack on our existing immigration and refugee resettlement systems is likely just the first shot in a longer war.
http://www.salon.com/2017/01/28/europe-2/