The Dictatorship
Nearly 77M people voted against Trump. That should give us hope.
To find hope in the aftermath of this month’s electionI don’t have to look any further than the notes I took for the two novels I’ve published since 2019. My debut novel, “We Cast a Shadow,” follows a Black man in a futuristic America trying to protect his son from those who want to destroy his Black body. “The American Daughters,” published this year, is the story of an enslaved girl who joins a spy ring to fight the Confederates.
For everyone who denied the humanity of others, there was someone else who stepped up to defend them.
I spent two decades doing research for those novels, including interviewing elders and digging through archives in New Orleans’ French Quarter. After the last page was turned in, I learned one simple truth I believe speaks to this moment when an incoming president is promising to inflict pain upon our neighbors: For much of our dark past, for everyone who denied the humanity of others, there was someone else who stepped up to defend them. For that reason, frightening changes that initially seemed permanent were anything but.
A bill stripping away rights might be passed one year only to be struck down by a court the following year. Or, in the reverse, a negative ruling by a court might be superseded by a legislative act. Politics, history and culture are like a pendulum, held by a woman on a seesaw, which is itself perched on the back of a whale swimming across the sea. There’s too much motion to fully understand, but two things are certain: One, you’re moving toward something, and two, change is inevitable.
The people in my novels resist authoritarianism in the way that one group or another of Americans always has. Most Black Americans were treated as the property of the wealthy during the time when “The American Daughters” is set, but the characters vigorously fight for their freedoms despite the immense personal risk. In creating these fictional characters, I was inspired by a score of real-life freedom fighters: from Harriet Tubman and Sojourner Truth to more obscure figures like Juan San Maló (Jean St. Malo) who established a village for those who escaped slavery deep in the swamps east of New Orleans.
The narrator of “We Cast a Shadow” is a loving father who uses cunning to shield his son in a world where Black Americans are forced into fenced-in ghettos or deported altogether. The narrator’s wife, Penny, is white, but she is an even fiercer protester of inequality. And several other characters also defend the marginalized. These characters represent a variety of approaches to resistance, just as real-world figures such as Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm XPatty Hearst and Ida B. Wells had different ways of fighting back against oppressive systems.
Both novels, then, are informed by the many ways that people living in an oppressive police state resisted and fought back and didn’t give up hope but made plans for a brighter future.

But we don’t have to go back to previous centuries for a reminder that bad times don’t always last as long as it looks like they might last. The day after the 2004 election, my best work friend sat in her office crying. President George W. Bush had just won re-election after he’d launched an illegitimate and brutal war in Iraq and after his party had strategically placed anti-marriage-equality measures on ballots across the country to help the party win that year. My friend was crying in part because at the time, the Bush coalition seemed permanent. On that day in 2004, we couldn’t have even conceived of a President Barack Obama or imagined that during his time in the White House the Supreme Court would make marriage equality the law of the land.
In “We Cast a Shadow,” African Americans are forced to live in a neighborhood surrounded by a wire fence. They can leave only with special permission, not unlike the Japanese Americans who were trapped inside internment camps during World War II. I’m unusual in that I always hope for the best. But I also believe people when they announce what terrors they plan to unleash. I’m disgusted that the new administration is promising to round up countless people and corral them into places that will most likely look very similar to those camps. If President-elect Donald Trump’s menacing promise is enacted, then children will lose their parents. People will die.
There were almost 77 million people who voted against the president-elect’s agenda, a fertile ground of opposition and defiance.
The characters in “The American Daughters” are trapped by patriarchal and racist forces that have plans for their bodies. The women in particular are motivated to fight their oppressors at every turn. We’re at such a place again. Given the Supreme Court justices he appointed (and is likely to support) and the anti-abortion foes in his orbitwe can expect Trump’s new administration to continue to eat away at women’s rights to control their own bodies. That can only result in deaths as doctors unwilling to risk their medical licenses refuse to provide treatment to women who need it. We can also expect that the new administration will do all that it can to end protections for trans and nonbinary people, which will cause incalculable pain and devastation.
But, according to the latest numbers, there were almost 77 million people who voted against the president-elect’s agendaa fertile ground of opposition and defiance.
At some point the new administration will lose its momentum. Allies will use the courts to divert, delay and defeat the worst decisions of this president. The midterm elections will be here before you know it. And in 2028, despite some people’s worries, there will be an election.
The writer James Baldwin, speaking about how he dealt with bullies who threatened him when he was a child, said he’d say, “‘OK … but you gonna have to do it every day.’ You’d have to beat me up every single day. So, then the question becomes which one of us would get tired first. And I knew it wouldn’t be me.”
A friend from Asia told me after the results of the Nov. 5 presidential election that she felt like the U.S. the world loves had just died. But America is what it is in part because we’ve always had people like Baldwin, people who despite being battered refused to ever get tired and quit. To those who think the fight has been lost, I say not so fast. The real-life stories of America show us that we’ve been here before.
Maurice Carlos Ruffin
Maurice Carlos Ruffin is the author of the national bestseller “The American Daughters,”as well as a short story collection, “The Ones Who Don’t Say They Love You.” His debut novel, “We Cast a Shadow,” was a finalist for the PEN/Faulkner Award, the Dayton Literary Peace Prize and the PEN America Open Book Prize. All three books were New York Times Editor’s Choice selections. He is the winner of the Iowa Review Award in fiction and the Louisiana Writer Award. Ruffin is an associate professor of creative writing at Louisiana State University.
The Dictatorship
IRAN: STRAIT CLOSED AGAIN
Confusion over the critical chokepoint threatened to deepen the energy crisis roiling the global economy and push the two countries toward renewed conflict, even as mediators expressed confidence a new deal was within reach. Iran’s joint military command said on Saturday that “control of the Strait of Hormuz has returned to its previous state … under strict management and control of the armed forces.”
Today’s live updates have ended. Follow more live coverage on the Iran war.
Major developments we’re following:
- Iran reversed course on reopening the Strait of Hormuz Saturday, warning that it would continue to block transit as long as the U.S. blockade of Iranian ports remained in effect.
- The British military says a cargo vessel was attacked near the Strait of Hormuzdamaging containers on board. The attack is the second on Saturday, after two gunboats from Iran’s Revolutionary Guards opened fire on a tanker transiting the key waterway.
- A 10-day ceasefire in Israel and Lebanon began at midnight Friday and appears to be holding after more than a month of war between Israel and Hezbollah, though the Iran-backed Lebanese militant group is not a party to the deal. The fragile calm has prompted thousands of displaced Lebanese families to head home.
- French president Emmanuel Macron said one french soldier was killed and three others were injured on Saturday morning during an attack against UNIFIL, the multinational U.N. peacekeeping force in southern Lebanon.
Israel’s military says another soldier has died in combat in southern Lebanon
It was the second death announced in under twelve hours and brought the total number of soldiers killed in Lebanon to 15. The Israeli military said another soldier was badly wounded in the same incident, along with four moderately wounded and four lightly injured.
It was the second soldier to die since the ceasefire. The first died because of wounds sustained during combat, the military said.
UN chief condemns attack in Lebanon that killed French UN peacekeeper
Stéphane Dujarric, the spokesman for U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres, says Guterres has strongly condemned the killing of a French peacekeeper and the wounding of three others in an attack in southern Lebanon.
The U.N. peacekeeping force in southern Lebanon came under attack with small arms fire Saturday morning. Two of the injured were hurt seriously, France’s president and the force known as UNIFIL said.
Both President Emmanuel Macron and the UNIFIL force blamed Hezbollah, but the Lebanese militant group denied involvement.
Iran declares the Strait of Hormuz fully closed, state media reports
The navy of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps said it extended the closure to the corridor it had earlier designated for the safe passage of vessels through the strategic waterway and declared the strait fully closed until the U.S. blockade on Iranian ports and ships is lifted.
On Friday, Iran said vessels could move through the strait in coordination with it and against the payment of a toll.
But in a statement late Saturday carried by Iran’s state media, the navy warned that any violating vessel would be targeted.
Iran considers the U.S. blockade a violation of the ceasefire between the two countries. Two vessels were attacked earlier on Saturday in the Strait of Hormuz and off Oman’s coast, at least one of them by Iranian gunboats.
Israel says one of its soldiers has been killed in Lebanon
The military said the soldier, an officer, was killed in south Lebanon on Friday, after the start of a U.S.-brokered ceasefire that has otherwise largely held.
It said two other soldiers were injured in the incident, but didn’t release any more details.
This brings to 14 the number of Israeli soldiers killed in the latest war in Lebanon.
Hezbollah leader dismisses ceasefire paper published by US
Naim Kassem, head of the Iran-backed Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, in a statement read on the group’s al-Manar TV said a paper published by the U.S. State Department that it described as the text of a ceasefire agreement between Lebanon and Israel “means nothing at the practical level, but it is an insult to our country.”
“Everyone knows that the government of Lebanon has not met or approved this statement,” he said.
The text published by the U.S. described the 10-day truce as a gesture by Israel “to enable good-faith negotiations” toward a permanent peace agreement with Lebanon. The text gives Israel the “right to take all necessary measures in self-defense, at any time, against planned, imminent, or ongoing attacks.” It does not mention any similar right for Lebanon or Hezbollah.
Kassem said the truce should entail “a complete cessation of all hostilities” and that Hezbollah “will respond to enemy violations.”
Israel’s military kills two UNICEF-contracted truck drivers in northern Gaza
The Israeli military killed two UNICEF-contracted truck drivers at a water point in northern Gaza Strip, forcing the UN agency to suspend its operations in the area, UNICEF said.
Two other people were also injured in the attack that occurred Friday at the Mansoura water filling point in Gaza City, UNICEF said in a statement.
The firing took place “during routine, water trucking operations, with no changes in movement or procedures,” it said.
The Israeli military claimed that troops opened fire on suspected militants in the area of the so-called Yellow Line, which separates Israeli-controlled areas from the rest of Gaza. It said the incident was being investigated.
UNICEF said the point is being used multiple times a day to keep providing hundreds of thousands of people in Gaza City with clean water from the Mekorot water supply line.
The agency said it suspended onsite activities until security conditions in the area are restored.
India summons Iran’s ambassador after Indian-flagged tankers shot at near Strait of Hormuz
India on Saturday summoned Iran’s ambassador in New Delhi after two Indian vessels were forced to reverse course in the Strait of Hormuz following reports of gunfire from Iran’s Revolutionary Guard.
India’s foreign secretary conveyed New Delhi’s “deep concern at the shooting incident” at two Indian-flagged ships in the Strait of Hormuz to the Iranian ambassador, a statement by India’s External Affairs Ministry said.
The foreign secretary told the Iranian envoy that Tehran had earlier facilitated the safe passage of several ships bound for India. The statement said the Indian official urged the Iranian ambassador to “convey India’s views to the authorities in Iran and resume at the earliest the process of facilitating India-bound ships across the Strait.”
Macron says a French soldier was killed and 3 were wounded in attack on peacekeepers in Lebanon
A U.N. peacekeeping force in southern Lebanon came under attack with small arms fire Saturday morning leaving one French peacekeeper dead and three wounded, two of them seriously, France’s president and the force known as UNIFIL said.
The attack near the southern Lebanese village of Ghandouriyeh came after a 10-day ceasefire went into effect at midnight Thursday between Israel and Lebanon’s militant Hezbollah group.
Pakistan prime minister returns home after regional visits ahead of expected US-Iran talks
Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif returned home Saturday after visiting Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Turkey ahead of an expected second round of talks between the United States and Iran.
Sharif’s office said in a statement that he was received by Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi upon arrival in the eastern city of Lahore.
It said Naqvi, who visited Iran earlier this week along with army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir and other officials, later met Sharif and briefed him on their talks with the Iranian leadership.
Hezbollah denies links to attack that left one French peacekeeper dead in south Lebanon
The Iran-backed group in a statement called for caution when assigning blame and judgment, until the Lebanese army completes its investigation of the incident.
Hezbollah said the peacekeeping forces should coordinate with the Lebanese army in their operations.
Hezbollah expressed surprise at the hasty accusations leveled against it, especially given the silence of these same parties “when the Israeli enemy attacks UNIFIL forces.”
Iran says it is reviewing new US proposals
Iran’s Supreme National Security Council said in a statement that Pakistan’s army chief, serving as an intermediary, presented the proposals to Iran when he recently visited Tehran, and they were still under review.
It was not revealed what was in the proposals.
The council said Iran has yet to respond, but further talks would require the U.S. to abandon “excessive demands and adjust its requests to the realities on the ground.”
It also said that Iran will maintain full control over traffic through the Strait of Hormuz until “the war fully ends and lasting peace is achieved in the region,” adding that it would collect detailed information on passing vessels, issue transit certificates and impose tolls.
The council added that it considered the U.S. naval blockade a violation of the ceasefire, and there would be no reopening of the Strait of Hormuz until that was lifted.
Trump says Iran ‘got a little cute,’ but there are good conversations happening
President Donald Trump says that U.S. talks with Iran are going well and that he expects to have more information “by the end of the day.”
Trump made the comments Saturday morning during a White House event where he signed an executive order directing the Food and Drug Administration to expedite review of certain psychedelic drugs designed as breakthrough therapy for mental illness.
Trump declined to take reporters’ questions about Iran but said, “We have very good conversations going on.”
He says Iran “got a little cute,” later adding, “They wanted to close up the strait again,” referring to the Strait of Hormuz.
“They can’t blackmail us,” Trump said.
Pope Leo XIV says ‘not in my interest at all’ to debate Trump but will keep preaching peace
Pope Leo XIV said Saturday that it was “not in my interest at all” to debate U.S. President Donald Trump about the Iran war, but that he would continue preaching the Gospel message of peace.
Leo spoke to reporters aboard the papal plane flying from Cameroon to Angola.
He addressed the spiraling back-and-forth saga of Trump’s critiques of his peace message, which have dominated news headlines this week. But the American pope also sought to set the record straight, insisting that his preaching isn’t directed at Trump, but reflects the broader Gospel message of peace.
“There’s been a certain narrative that has not been accurate in all of its aspects, but because of the political situation created when, on the first day of the trip, the president of the United States made some comments about myself,” he said.
JUST IN: Pope Leo XIV says it’s ‘not in my interest at all’ to debate Trump, but will keep preaching peace
Turkish Vice President says US-Iran negotiations will take time to conclude
Cevdet Yilmaz, whose country has been supporting Pakistan’s efforts to bring the sides together, told The Associated Press there are many “complex issues” on the table.
Yilmaz said he still believes talks between Iran and the United States would continue.
“We would all like these talks to end all at once, in a very short time. But we need to be realistic. These comprehensive negotiations will take some time,” Yilmaz said.
The vice president also said that a comprehensive settlement between Iran and the United States would be a prerequisite for free navigation through the Strait of Hormuz.
“What is the root cause here? The ongoing war. Therefore, the end of this war will provide the greatest guarantee,” he said.
US says 23 ships turned back since Iran blockade started
The U.S. military says it has forced 23 ships to turn around near the Strait of Hormuz since it imposed a naval blockade of Iranian ports.
In a post on X, the Central Command said U.S. forces are still enforcing the blockade “against ships entering or exiting Iranian ports and coastal areas.”
The blockade ordered by President Donald Trump started April 13 as part of U.S. pressure on Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
In response to the continued blockade, Iran reimposed restrictions on transit through the strait.
British military say container vessel was attacked near the Strait of Hormuz
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center said an unknown projectile hit the vessel, 25 nautical miles (46 kilometers) northeast of Oman.
Some containers on the vessel were damaged, it said.
The attack is the second on Saturday, after two gunboats from Iran’s Revolutionary Guard opened fire on a tanker transiting the key waterway.
French soldier killed during attack against UN mission in Lebanon
French president Emmanuel Macron said the soldier was killed and three others were injured on Saturday morning during an attack against the mission of the multinational U.N. peacekeeping force in southern Lebanon, known as UNIFIL.
Macron identified the solider as Staff Sergeant Florian Montorio of the 17th Parachute Engineer Regiment from Montauban.
“Everything suggests that responsibility for this attack lies with Hezbollah,” Macron wrote on social media. “France demands that the Lebanese authorities immediately arrest those responsible and assume their responsibilities alongside UNIFIL.”
Macron added that three of Montorio’s “comrades in arms were injured and evacuated.”
“The nation bows in respect and extends its support to the families of our soldiers and to all our military personnel engaged for peace in Lebanon,” he said.
Israeli military says it has conducted aerial and ground strikes in southern Lebanon
The military said the strikes came after identifying several incidents in which militants “violated the ceasefire understanding” by approaching areas close to where Israeli troops are located.
The military mentioned for the first time what it called a “Yellow Line,” saying militants tried to approach it from the north.
There is no mention of a “Yellow Line” in the 10-day ceasefire agreement that was announced by President Donald Trump and went into effect this week.
The U.S. State Department said Thursday that according to the ceasefire agreement, Israel reserves the right to defend itself “at any time, against planned, imminent, or ongoing attacks.”
Senior Hezbollah official Mahmoud Qammati told Lebanon’s Al-Jadeed TV Saturday that the group will not tolerate any Israeli strikes similar to what happened after the November 2024 truce, when Israel continued to carry out almost daily airstrikes.
“This time we will not practice the strategic patience policy,” Qammati said.
Iran’s supreme leader sends defiant message
Iran’s “valiant navy” is “ready to inflict new bitter defeats on its enemies,” Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei said.
Khamenei’s defiant remarks came as Iran swiftly reimposed restrictions on the Strait of Hormuz.
In a message celebrating the anniversary of the establishment of Iran’s army, he hailed Iran’s drone strikes that targeted Israel and the U.S. interests across the region during the war.
Indian vessels reverse course in Strait of Hormuz, vessel tracker says
Two Indian vessels have had to reverse course in the Strait of Hormuz following reports of gunfire from Iran’s Revolutionary Guard, a vessel-tracker said.
TankerTrackers.com said the vessels include an Indian-flagged super tanker, carrying 2 million barrels of Iraqi oil.
Iranian gunboats fire on tanker in Strait of Hormuz, British military says
The British military says two gunboats from Iran’s Revolutionary Guard opened fire on a tanker transiting the Strait of Hormuz after Iran said it had reimposed restrictions on the vital waterway.
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations Centre said the tanker and crew were reported safe, without identifying the vessel or its destination.
Iran said earlier it was reimposing restrictions on the strait in response to a U.S. blockade on Iranian shipping and ports. Iran has prevented vessels from crossing throughout the seven-week-long war, except for ones it aut horizes.
Iran says it won’t hand over enriched uranium to US
Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Saeed Khatibzadeh dismissed claims from U.S. President Donald Trump over the uranium and sounded a note of caution with regard to future talks between the two countries.
Speaking to the Associated Press in the Turkish city of Antalya, Khatibzadeh said the Iranians were not ready for a new round of face-to-face talks with the U.S. because the Americans “have not abandoned their maximalist position.”
On Friday, Trump said the U.S. will go into Iran and “get all the nuclear dust,” referring to the 970 pounds (440 kilograms) of enriched uranium believed to be buried under nuclear sites badly damaged by U.S. military strikes last year.
Lebanese leaders discuss future talks with Israel
The meeting between President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam came during a 10-day ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon’s Iran-backed Hezbollah group.
According to a statement from Aoun’s office, the pair discussed Lebanon’s “readiness for negotiations” with Israel.
Lebanon and Israel have been in a state of war since 1948.
Earlier this week, the two countries’ ambassadors to the U.S. held a meeting, in the first direct talks in decades.
U.S. President Donald Trump has invited Aoun and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to the White House, although no date has been set yet.
Aoun has said he is ready to go anywhere to “liberate my country, protect my people and save my nation.”
Pakistani foreign minister says US-Iran deal ‘very close’
Ishaq Dar said Pakistani diplomats are working to “bridge” differences between the US. and Iran.
He said one of the sticking points is Lebanon, while welcoming the ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah.
Speaking at the Antalya Diplomacy Forum in southern Turkey on Friday, Dar said the U.S. and Iran were “very close” to agreeing a deal last weekend in talks in Islamabad.
Iran reimposes restrictions in Strait of Hormuz
Iran has reversed course on reopening the Strait of Hormuz, warning that it would continue to block transit through the narrow waterway as long as the U.S. blockade of Iranian ports remained in effect.
The country’s joint military command said “control of the Strait of Hormuz has returned to its previous state … under strict management and control of the armed forces.”
It warned that it would continue to block transit through the strait as long as the U.S. blockade of Iranian ports remained in effect.
The announcement came the morning after U.S. President Donald Trump said the U.S. blockade “will remain in full force” until Tehran reaches a deal with the U.S., including on its nuclear program.
JUST IN: Iran has re-imposed restrictions on Strait of Hormuz, accusing the U.S. of violating deal to reopen it
Pakistani leader heads home from Turkey ahead of U.S.-Iran talks
Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has left for home after visiting Turkey, where he attended a diplomacy forum in Antalya.
Whiie there, he met Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani ahead of the second round of U.S.-Iran talks in Islamabad.
While at the forum, Sharif discussed recent regional developments and ongoing diplomatic efforts between Tehran and Washington with Erdogan and the Qatari emir.
Pakistan is expected to host the second round of talks between Iran and the United States early next week
Iran announces partial reopening of its airspace
Iran has announced a partial reopening of its airspace after a seven-week hiatus because of the war, state media reported.
The Civil Aviation Organization said air routes over eastern Iran were reopened at 7 a.m. (0330 GMT), according to the state-owned IRAN newspaper. It said flights at the country’s airports would gradually resume but did not give a timeframe.
Iran’s airspace had been closed since the U.S. and Israel began striking Iran on Feb. 28. The partial reopening has come more than a week into a ceasefire between Iran and the U.S.
Iranian lawmaker clarifies conditions for transit through Hormuz
A senior Iranian lawmaker said only commercial vessels authorized by the Revolutionary Guard are allowed to transit through the Strait of Hormuz.
Ebrahim Azizi, head of Iran’s parliamentary National Security Commission, said in a social media post late Friday that commercial vessels must pay “required tolls” before transiting the strait, using a route set by Iran last month.
“The time has come to comply with the new Maritime Regime of the Strait of Hormuz,” he said. “These regulations are determined by Iran, not by social media posts!”
He warned that the mechanism could change “if the U.S. attempts to create any disturbance for Iranian ships.”
Strait of Hormuz only open during ceasefire, Iranian military official says
Iran’s Defense Ministry spokesperson said the Strait of Hormuz is only open during a ceasefire and conditionally, two Iranian semiofficial news agencies reported.
Brig. Gen. Reza Talaei-Nik said “military vessels and those linked to hostile forces have no right” of transit, according to the ISNA and Mehr news agencies.
Pakistani army chief leaves Tehran after meeting senior Iranian leaders
Field Marshal Asim Munir has concluded a visit to Tehran, where he met senior Iranian leaders in an effort to ease tensions between Iran and the United States, the Pakistani military said Saturday.
It said the visit reflects Pakistan’s commitment to promoting peace, stability and a negotiated settlement to regional conflicts.
Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi accompanied Munir.
The delegation met Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and held talks with Parliament Speaker Bagher Qalibaf, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and senior military officials.
Discussions focused on regional security, ongoing diplomatic efforts and steps to promote lasting peace.
Munir emphasized dialogue, de-escalation and resolving disputes through sustained engagement.
He also conveyed goodwill messages from Pakistan’s leadership and reaffirmed Islamabad’s desire to strengthen longstanding ties with Iran.
The Dictatorship
The Latest: Trump hints at resuming attacks if ceasefire with Iran expires without a deal
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The Dictatorship
Trump isn’t just losing his base at home. He’s losing his friends abroad.
President Donald Trump’s offensive behavior toward Christians and his unnecessary and unpopular war in Iran isn’t just splitting his political base at home — it’s also alienating his allies abroad. Right-wing nationalists in Europe are becoming more and more wary of association with Trump and growing inclined to keep him at a distance to protect their own political projects. The trend marks a blow to Trump’s aspirations of creating an international bloc of right-wing nationalist states that work in concert to quash the left.
This week, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni criticized Trump’s recent attacks on Pope Leo XIVas “unacceptable” and called it “right and normal for [the pope] to call for peace and to condemn every form of war.” Trump lashed back at Meloni for defending the pope, marking his first criticism of her. He did so even though he has few allies left in Europe.
The Trump administration has also been criticized by right-wingers in Europe for its aggressive, but failed, attempt to bolster Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, who lost in a landslide in last week’s election. The Trump administration’s efforts — which included Vice President JD Vance campaigning for Orbán in the final days of the race — may have hurt Orbán more than it helped him.
Trump’s lack of discipline is at the core of his own unraveling.
Since then, multiple German lawmakers from the far-right Alternative for Germany party have openly criticized Trump as politically toxic for their movement. AfD parliament member Matthias Moosdorf said on X that the Trump administration’s close ties to Orbán “hung like millstones around [Orbán’s] neck” during his failed reelection attempt. Lawmaker Torben Braga said that in the context of elections, it’s “not a particularly promising approach” to keep close ties with Trump.
Diana Sosoaca, a far-right member of the European Parliament for Romania, said last week that it was “a big mistake” for Orbán to invite Vance to stump for him, particularly as Trump has become a source of great “disorder in this world” with his war on Iran.
In recent weeks, French far-right leader Marine Le Pen has also criticized Trump’s disastrous war in Iran, calling his conduct “erratic” and his war “a mistake.”
Those bold criticisms speak to how incredibly damaging Trump’s war on Iran has been for his standing within his movement. The surge in global oil prices is politically radioactive; far-right leaders and parties in Europe affiliated with Trump risk becoming associated with the energy crisis unless they take steps to create distance from him.

While Trump’s criticism of the pope hasn’t been as salient or as materially significant as his hapless war, it, too, has global implications, with some 1.4 billion Catholics around the world who might take offense at Trump’s extraordinary broadsides against their spiritual leader. And then there are the hundreds of millions of people, Catholic or otherwise, who might be offended by Trump sharing on social media a blasphemous artificial intelligence-generated depiction of himself as Jesus Christ. One does not have to be Christian — or even religious at all — to recognize his behavior as repellent and megalomaniacal.
Trump’s lack of discipline is at the core of his own unraveling. Swept up in self-worship and a belief in his own infallibility, he’s now struggling to uphold his side of the deal with right-wing Christians and at least pretend he cares about their spirituality. And his desire to remold the world has alienated the isolationist part of his coalition that believed his promise that he wouldn’t start any wars.
Trump does not need European right-wingers, ultimately, in order to achieve his core political projects. But he has made alliances with right-wing nationalists in Europe a part of his foreign policy and described opposing European “civilizational erasure” in the face of immigration as a plank of his national security strategy. That those right-wingers see him as a political albatross shows that their collective assault on liberalism has major weaknesses. One hopes that these far-right movements in Europe aren’t able to shed their association with Trump only because that association is no longer convenient. We should hope their political influence declines right along with his.
Zeeshan Aleem is a writer and editor for MS NOW. He primarily writes about politics and foreign policy.
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