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Javier Milei and Georgia Meloni laugh during the inauguration. AFP
The Guests of Radical Populism

The Guests of Radical Populism

International Far-Right, Led by Leaders of Italy and Argentina, Attend the Oath of Their Spiritual Leader

Óscar Beltrán de Otálora

Lunes, 20 de enero 2025, 20:35

Among the columns of the Capitol's corridors, two leaders representing the triumph of the new global far-right attended Donald Trump's inauguration yesterday. Giorgia Meloni, the Italian Prime Minister, and Javier Milei, the Argentine President, were among the top foreign representatives honoured to be present at the event where the apostle of populism returned to the presidential seat. This is no innocent invitation.

The presence of foreign leaders at such solemn ceremonies is unprecedented in U.S. history, as foreign representation at inaugurations is typically limited to a diplomatic delegation. But with Trump, everything is different. In addition to Meloni and Milei, global far-right leaders such as Brexit inspirer Nigel Farage, the head of Germany's Alternative for Germany (AfD) Tino Chrupalla, and the president of Belgium's Vlaams Belang, Tom Van Grieken, were also invited. Viktor Orbán, one of the high priests of this movement, was expected to attend. However, the Hungarian Prime Minister could not make it due to scheduling conflicts. Another absentee was former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, who is facing legal proceedings in his country and was denied permission to leave.

One of the most curious cases on the far-right guest list is Eric Zemmour, the polemicist who ran in the last French elections with his newly founded party, Reconquête, securing only 7% of the votes. This aggressive representative of radical French nationalism was defeated by the traditional far-right represented by Marine Le Pen, who garnered 23% of the votes. However, for Trump's team, Zemmour is more intriguing than Le Pen.

This French preference speaks volumes about the far-right leadership the U.S. President aims to exercise. Zemmour's rhetoric is similar to Le Pen's in substance, but in style, he is a maverick, someone unafraid to challenge conventions. He is closer to the provocations of Milei or Trump himself.

The Ultra Web

The 'Trumpist' aspiration to create a global web of extreme populism inspired by the American leader is not new. In his first term, it was represented by strategist Steve Bannon, who moved to Italy to train European right-wingers in tactics to gain power. In the current administration, this internationalist aspiration is embodied by Elon Musk, who does not hesitate to support any European or Latin American far-right party that aligns with his standards via his social network. His dream is to defeat progressivism wherever it is found and impose a liberal and anti-establishment agenda worldwide.

Amidst this conservative international, the most unusual guest was the communist Han Zeng, the 'number two' of Chinese President Xi Jinping. Beijing is Trump's true adversary in his trade war. The magnate knows that proselytism will not work with the Asian giant.

Abascal, the Only Spanish Politician in the Capitol

The only Spanish politician present in the Capitol was the leader of Vox, Santiago Abascal. In recent days, he has been photographed with, among others, the new Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, and his friend Milei. "Common sense has won in the U.S. It will win in Spain too," he wrote yesterday on X, echoing Trump's rhetoric.

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