Counter-Currents
Phil Eiger Newmann, Don’t Tread on Us, 2020.
971 words
Translated by Greg Johnson
The US presidential election is fast approaching. Personally, do you want Donald Trump to be re-elected? Would a second term of this president please you, if only to see the faces of his opponents, American and European?
Alain de Benoist: I would like his re-election, but by default, for lack of something better. As you know, this character doesn’t thrill me that much. I am not so much bothered by what he is usually reproached for (his style, his brutality, his vulgarity), because, on the contrary, I think that’s what many Americans like about him, which we refuse to understand on this side of the Atlantic. Rather, it is that his project seems nebulous to me, his foreign policy is in my opinion execrable, and the man is not suitable to lead what still remains (at least temporarily) the world’s leading power. There are basically only three real heads of state in today’s world: Vladimir Putin, heir to the former Russian Empire; Xi Jinping, heir to the former Chinese Empire; and Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who seeks to recreate the old Ottoman Empire. Donald Trump may have qualities, but he does not have the stature of a statesman.
Why support him, then? Because Joe Biden is a hundred times worse. Not because of his bland and boring personality, but because of everything he represents: the Establishment, the Deep State, submission to the dominant ideology, immigrationism, progressivism, deterritorialized capitalism, the politically correct, Black Lives Matter, the mainstream media, in short, this abominable New Class, which the witch Hillary Clinton represented four years ago. To block Joe Biden and his running mate Kamala Harris (who would have a good chance of succeeding him during his four years), I would even vote for Mickey Mouse!
But does Trump still have a chance to win?
Alain de Benoist: I believe so. I have often said we should distinguish between Donald Trump the man and the Trumpist phenomenon, which is above all a populist reflex to challenge everything that the Establishment stands for. Trump is questionable, but Trumpism is another matter. All things considered, we could compare it to what we call here “peripheral France.” Americans are extremely different from Europeans (much more than the latter believe), but the basic pattern is the same: the popular classes vs. the globalized elites, the settled vs. the mobile, the people vs. the citizens of the world, the bottom vs. the top.
In the United States today, this opposition has crystallized into two blocs that no longer even speak to each other. On both sides, they no longer want to just win the elections, but to destroy their opponents. Do you want a revealing, even staggering number? 15% of Republicans and 20% of Democrats believe America would be better off if their rivals “died.” Unprecedented. Politics has changed. Politicians in the United States no longer run for office touting their skills, but as women, as gays, as African Americans, as Hispanics, etc. Identity politics, fueled by political correctness, has taken over everything. Which means that political issues are now subordinated to cultural and anthropological issues.
This is why, contrary to what happened in the past (when the programs of the Republicans and the Democrats could seem more or less indistinguishable, especially to us), all the polls show that this presidential election is seen by Americans as exceptionally important (87% speak of an irreversible tipping point), and in particular there are very few undecided among them. This is the reason why the two candidates do not seek so much to poach supporters of their opponents as to consolidate their respective camps. And this is also why the first Trump-Biden debate ended in an exchange of insults, of (verbal) violence still unthinkable over here. Whether it is Trumpism or the New Class that wins, different worldviews are at stake.
What lessons can we draw from these four years of Trumpism? Would his re-election be good news for the United States and, more importantly, for France and for Europe?
Alain de Benoist: The lessons are difficult to assess. Trump is arguably better than his opponents say, but worse than his supporters say. As Trump spent a considerable amount of time escaping the traps his enemies set for him, and did so only by shuttling between “advisers” from opposing camps, it is, furthermore, difficult to know which initiatives are truly his.
Regarding his foreign policy — the only thing that should interest us — the record is frankly bad. Trump obviously dislikes Europe, which distinguishes him from his predecessors only in that he does not hide it. At first he tried to get closer to Russia in the hope of turning her away from a Chinese alliance, but he waivered because he has been repeatedly accused of being “in the service of the Russians.” His main enemy is China. He favors the Washington-Riyadh-Tel Aviv axis, which satisfies neoconservatives as well as evangelicals, but is completely contrary to European interests. But with Joe Biden, that would also be even worse. Remember what François Mitterrand confided to Georges-Marc Benamou: “They are tough, the Americans; they are voracious; they want unchallenged power over the world. France does not know it, but we are at war with America. Yes, a permanent war, a vital war, an economic war, a war apparently without death and yet a war to the death.”
Source: https://www.alaindebenoist.com/2020/10/16/trump-faute-de-mieux/
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13 comments
Hello from Europe. Americans are not different from europeans, they are similar. There is more or less as much difference between an american and a frenchman as between a frenchman and a hungarian. They are all white anyhow. There is millions of stupid people i Europe to. Enough with bullying America. I say americans are free europeans! They are free from old supressive cultural backwardness. I like americans a lot.
Imagine where american politics would bee without Trump. Hillary seeking reelection against Jeb Bush? Without Trump there is nothing.
Greg, I gave your book ”its Ok to be white” to some people. They where open to the message, but somewhat uneasy about it. The book starts with essays about ending white extinction, but these guys have been braunwashed and dont look at themselves as whites at all. ”White” in context of etnicity has been deleted from the swedish language since the fifties. In a swedish version such a book needs to start with a ”there are white people”/”white people are different”/”you are special because you are white” chapter. Well I should write one myself instead of blabla here,
Take care!
Europeans and Americans are VERY different. Something like Trump would never fly in Europe. It’s just not European’s style, it’s not what they find appealing. European states have a very different mentality. The Americans put freedom above everything, but Europeans are more collectivist and value order and cohesion much more, even so far as to use significant force to keep everyone in line.
So the two are very different and will go different paths ultimately.
Very sadly this adherence to order and cohesion is one of the things driving us to our collective doom. We won’t be able to shake off Jewish Rainbow Flag Bolshevism without accepting that the existing order needs to be overturned. American White Nationalism is more advanced politically but does not and cannot reach as far back as European nationalism. The existence of aesthetic currents like vaporwave and “trad” and “fash” memes are all attempts to synergise American and European identities into a collective futurist white identity and the products of this, for example the NJP, is in look and cultural niche very similar to European right wing parties. So the American individualism is an aberration of a myth which is being hammered away at by time and circumstance.
“Hello from Europe. Americans are not different from europeans, they are similar. ”
If one believes in the importance of genetics this simply has to be true.
How anyone can say Trump “dislikes” Europe is beyond me. I’ve never heard him utter anything of the sort. He’s simply tired of NATO countries not paying their bills – that’s not dislike of Europe, that’s a dislike of deadbeats.
I voted for Trump last week (by mail). He’s the better choice. Not perfect, but much better than the alternative.
Right, I got a far stronger feeling that Obama disliked Europe. One of the first things Trump did as President was visit that swine Macron in a huge display of international solidarity.
I agree that the communication style and expectations Americans have of their politicians are different from that of Europeans, but there is something I think Europeans should keep in mind:
Europeans generally have a more community-oriented morality that tries to offer dignity to every segment of society. The United States, on the other hand, is an individualist, ruthless society that doesn’t hesitate to punish whoever it decides are losers. It is not unusual to hear someone, whether he considers himself right-wing or left-wing, say that someone who has been having personal financial issues, or lives in a town with a declining standard of living, or has followed his family tradition into an industry that has been decimated by foreign competition, had it coming because they didn’t choose the right industry to work in, the right college to go to, or the right faraway city to live in. There are a lot of Americans (working-class whites more than anyone else) who have never heard any politician at the federal level support them and discuss their issues at length. I am not surprised that they would support an ally who is brash when the alternatives are all enemies.
I would personally prefer a more gentlemanly Trump if that was an option, but I am frankly tired of this style-over-substance conversation.
“Identity politics, fueled by political correctness, has taken over everything.”
Exactly! Because racial diversity causes conflict. Everybody knows that; y the word united is used as in UK & USA, in unity there is strength NOT diversity. Therefore, we r witnessing the destruction of our societies from our stupidity. We will NEVER live this down, forever in the future people will laugh at us stupid European Peoples from Europe to Australia believing the BIG LIE – diversity is a strength!
It would be better for Europe as well as America if ALL US troops were finally brought home. The enervating psychological effect of being “under the US security umbrella” has been disastrous to European martiality, maturity and manhood. Also, I doubt whether Europe would have become so “American” in its view of race and identity without the presence of ‘diverse’ US soldiers. Finally, I am apprehensive that the main reason for this continued unneeded presence is to bolster the illegitimate postwar anti-rightist regimes from rightist/nationalist backlash, and that our troops will be used to crush any racial nationalist or fascist regime, even of it comes to power electorally, as well as any genuine indigenous ethnonationalist revolt.
Trump should have made removing every last American soldier from Europe, and selling off the actual military bases (which would raise some tens of billions of dollars to pay down some of our unsustainable National Debt), a high foreign policy priority. But of course, despite being a patriot, he has no clue what he’s doing or should do.
I never watched ‘The Apprentice’ nor gave any serious attention to ‘The Art of the Deal’. I had fading memories of The Taj Mahal in AC and Marla Maples. I had mostly ignored Donald Trump for decades. Then I saw an interview he had with Hannity. He told of his brother who had fallen to addiction despite all the money, resources, and support in the world, and he also gave the very sage advice to his daughters “that if they get drunk, they lose control, and men may have their way with them.” These and other statements connected him to my own life and the lives of countless other deplorables.
I got on the Trump Train because Trump hit back. He didn’t want to be a punching bag like Bush or a pinyata like Romney.
He wanted to build a Great Wall on the southern border.
He wanted to get out of the ‘Policeman of the World’ game
He wanted to re configure NATO and close the bases.
He wanted detente with Russia.
He wanted an end to Endless Wars
He wanted to re secure the religious liberties of Christians.
He said he would appoint originalist supremes.
He said he would end our economic vassalage to Chiy nah.
Trump had lived in palaces. He comes from such wealth and opulence that the White House must seem like a trailer. He could have been living like a moghul and doing thousands of other interesting things, yet for love of the USA he has chosen to run a gauntlet every day.
I bought the lawn signs and put them out, but Democrat scumbags stole or destroyed them. I got more lawn signs and will vote the straight Republican ticket. That’s all I can do.
So far the only FACTS in this election campaign:
Ex inmate: I was voting for Biden but this changed my mind to Trump
https://youtu.be/WbozDBM67lY
Current inmates: Black Lives Matter members
https://twitter.com/KassandraKitson/status/1315396012773650433
Trump will win; why would the jews change horses in midstream; has there ever been a president more obsequious, and subservient to the jews–NO!
There’s nothing transactional for you if Trump gets elected. So why bother?
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