Whatever Donald Trump touches, he destroys. It can be people, institutions or ideas – the result is always the same. His empty smile beckons them in, but his handshake has the taint of death.

We’ve seen him ruin the reputation of countless Republicans. We’ve seen him degrade and destroy American constitutional standards and legal integrity. Now, in the Middle East, he is destroying the US’s reputation abroad. What was once a great military power looks weak, ineffectual, isolated and insane.

In Europe, we are seeing that process play out electorally, with the parties which associated themselves with the US President. The right wing leaders who lined up to worship at his throne are now facing the consequences.

This is not the narrative we’ve been sold. We’re told that liberal democracy is buckling. Presidents and prime ministers wait in line to pay fealty to Trump, the goblin king of a dark new world order. The White House pumps money and political support to hard-right figures in Europe, aiming to undermine the European Union (EU) from within.

And for a while, things really did seem to be following that pattern. In the 2024 European Parliament elections, pro-EU liberal parties suffered losses while anti-EU populist right parties made gains. In the Czech Republic last year, a populist-right government took power. In Poland, the populist-right candidate Karol Nawrocki secured the presidency. In France, Marine Le Pen’s National Rally led in the polls. In Germany, the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party was biting at the heels of Chancellor Friedrich Merz.

Then Trump launched the war in Iran and things began to........

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