I expect the mood was joyful at Budapest’s Scruton Café following the news of Donald Trump’s election to a second term in office. The café is named after the English philosopher Roger Scruton, revered by American and European right-wingers.
It also featured prominently in the Vice documentary “America and Hungary, a Far-Right Love Affair” as a popular spot where right-wing thinkers from around the world converge and parrot conservative talking points. Hungary, under the far-right leader Victor Orbán, is often held up on a pedestal by the right as proof that an illiberal future is indeed possible.
But Budapest is not the only capital city where populist, right-wing politicians are feeling hopeful following the US elections. From Rome to Buenos Aires, and from San Salvador to New Delhi, right-wing leaders are similarly optimistic that, with a friend like Donald Trump at the helm in Washington, an illiberal reconstruction of global politics is within reach.
For one thing, Trump’s return assures them that a cult of personality has immense appeal in electoral democracies. Trump has fashioned himself as the straight-talking, hard-nosed “outsider” with little patience for the political waffling of the career politician. Rather, he presents himself as a single-minded leader, willing to transgress all political norms and democratic checks and balances for the national cause. This model is inspirational for politicians like Javier Milei in Argentina and Nayib Bukele in El Salvador.
Donald Trump’s return assures right-wing leaders that a…
Auteur: Somdeep Sen
