European anti-Americanism is back . . . with a vengeance

by WorldTribune Staff, November 21, 2016

Desperate European globalists are spewing anti-American venom at a pace not seen since the George W. Bush administration.

“Since the American election … European television, radio and print media have produced an avalanche of negative stories, editorials and commentary that seethe with rage over the outcome of the vote,” Soeren Kern wrote for the Gatestone Institute on Nov. 21.

Der Speigel's headline after Donald Trump's victory: 'The End of the World (As We Know It)'.
Der Speigel’s headline after Donald Trump’s victory: ‘The End of the World (As We Know It)’.

“European criticism of Trump goes far beyond a simple displeasure with the man who will be the next president. The condemnation reveals a deep-seated contempt for the United States, and for American voters who democratically elected a candidate committed to restoring American economic and military strength.”

A sampling of the avalanche:

  • In Germany, Hamburg-based newsmagazine Der Spiegel, published a cover with an image of a giant meteor in the shape of Trump’s head hurtling towards the earth. The headline reads: “The End of the World (As We Know It)”. The issue includes more than 50 pages of related content, including an article by Dirk Kurbjuweit entitled: “One-Hundred Years of Fear: America Has Abdicated Its Leadership of the West.”
  • In Britain, the Guardian published an editorial, “The Guardian View on Trump’s Foreign Policy: A Threat to Peace,” which stated: “The victory of Donald Trump shatters the notion that the US can be counted on by its allies not just for defense guarantees and economic cooperation, but even as a defender of liberal democracy, rather than a threat to it.”
  • In Spain, where anti-Americanism has held sway for many decades, the newspaper El País published an essay, “Declaration of War against Stupidity,” which showcases the contempt many Europeans have for ordinary Americans. The newspaper’s long-time essayist, John Carlin, wrote: “The victory of Trump represents a rebellion against reason and decency. It is the triumph of racism, or misogyny, or stupidity — or all three things at once. It is the expression of the poor judgment and bad taste of 60 million Americans, the vast majority of them men and women of white skin who own homes, cars, firearms and eat more than citizens of any other country on earth.”
  • In France, the newspaper Libération featured a cover with Trump and the words “American Psycho.” Another headline read: “United States: The Empire of the Worst.”

Kern asked: How is one to interpret the resurgence of anti-American sentiment in Europe?

“European elites have overlooked Obama’s mistakes because he is a ‘globalist’ who seems to favor recreating the United States in the European image. Trump, by contrast, is a nationalist who wants to rebuild the United States in the American, not the European, image.

“In the past, European federalists have tried to make anti-Americanism the basis of a new pan-European identity. This artificial post-modern European ‘citizenship,’ which demands allegiance to a faceless bureaucratic superstate based in Brussels, has been presented as a globalist alternative to the nationalism of the United States. In essence, to be ‘European’ means to not be American.

“As the European Union comes apart at the seams, Europe’s political establishment can be expected to try to exploit anti-Americanism in a desperate attempt to use it as a glue to hold a fractured Europe together.

“Whether or not that succeed depends, ironically, on U.S. President-elect Donald Trump. If he can demonstrate that he is able to govern the United States and produce tangible results, especially by growing the economy and curbing illegal immigration, Trump is certain to energize support for anti-establishment politicians in Europe, many of whom are already polling well in a number of upcoming general elections.”

Commenting on Trump’s victory, Dutch Parliamentarian Geert Wilders, wrote: “America has just liberated itself from political correctness. The American people expressed their desire to remain a free and democratic people. Now it is time for Europe. We can and will do the same!”

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