Trump's victory emboldens Europe's far right - for now

Awkward questions being ignored by parties that see his win as a good omen

- Jonathan Eyal

BRUSSELS Leaders of Europe's far-right political parties are jubilant at Donald Trump's electoral victory in the US.

They see Trump's impending return to the White House as a good omen for right-wing European populists. And they are eager to use his electoral slogans and strategies in future European ballots.

Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban, an old Trump fan whose country currently holds the rotating EU presidency, hailed the US election results as a monumental turning point.

"The world is going to change, and change in a quicker way than before," Mr Orban proclaimed on Nov 9 after hosting a summit of European leaders.

On Nov 13, Mr Jordan Bardella, the EU parliamentary leader of France's National Rally, arguably Europe's most significant nationalist mass movement, used the pulpit of the European Parliament to praise Trump's political agenda, comparing it unfavourably with what he claimed are Europe's failing priorities.

"Donald Trump's United States protects itself; Europe lets anything happen. The US frees its markets, and Europe taxes them.

The United States innovates, Europe regulates," Mr Bardella said to loud applause from his parliamentary soulmates.

Europe's far-right populists boast a far longer history and much deeper political roots than Trump enjoys in the US.

While it has been less than 10 years since Trump executed a successful takeover of the Republican Party and turned it sharply to the right of the American political spectrum, Europe's hard-right politicians have spent decades creating parties and building up electoral constituencies from scratch.

Electoral progress among Europe's hard-right fraternity has been slow and painful, often achieved with little cash and in the face of stiff opposition from their national political establishments and Europe's mass media, which tended to dismiss fringe right-wing politicians as a collection of madcaps.