Europe’s sharp turn to the far right

A striking political transformation is sweeping across Europe. The old continent appears poised for what many are calling a “far-right spring,” with nationalist movements in various countries building unprecedented momentum. This revival largely stems from the political earthquake in America that returned Donald Trump to the White House.
Europe’s far-right movements have gained fresh energy following Trump’s victory, prompting a pivotal question: If such a political shift was possible in America, why not in Europe? This sentiment is particularly potent as both continents grapple with similar challenges around immigration, security concerns, demands for economic protectionism and questions of cultural identity.
It appears more than coincidental that figures with pronounced right-wing credentials have found favor with the new American administration. These include Hungary’s Viktor Orban, the standard-bearer of European identity politics; Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who exemplifies the far right in government; and Alternative for Germany leader Alice Weidel, who has received positive attention from Elon Musk, now a powerful figure in Washington. Meanwhile, French far-right figures Eric Zemmour and Member of the European Parliament Sarah Knafo were among the few French nationals invited to Trump’s inauguration.

Washington’s new leadership has strategic interests in seeing ideologically aligned forces take control in major European capitals. 

Mustapha Tossa

For these movements, the political planets seem to be aligning favorably. Vice President J.D. Vance’s controversial Munich Security Conference speech, in which he criticized Europe for abandoning shared values like press freedom, was widely interpreted as confirming America’s split with traditional European allies, while offering ideological support to the far-right forces approaching power across Europe.
The emerging pattern suggests Washington’s new leadership has strategic interests in seeing ideologically aligned forces take control in major European capitals, potentially accelerating a harmonization of views and strategic objectives. The Russia-Ukraine conflict provides a telling example.
European far-right parties have historically supported Russia’s actions against Ukraine and opposed international sanctions on Moscow, often expressing admiration for President Vladimir Putin’s authoritarian leadership style. As Trump pursues a potential deal with Russia to end the conflict, he finds natural allies in these European far-right movements whose rise to power would seemingly benefit American interests.
This budding relationship between Trump and Europe’s far right has triggered significant alarm. Critics accuse the American administration of employing social media campaigns, including disinformation, to support these parties. The administration also faces allegations of cultivating special relationships with far-right networks specifically to help them gain political power — accusations previously leveled at the Kremlin for attempting to influence European elections to install Russia-friendly officials in key positions.
The far right is gaining unprecedented momentum, with its ideologues confident their time has arrived. They benefit from a remarkable convergence of interests between Moscow and Washington — two powers that, through an unusual alignment of political circumstances, share a common interest in seeing Europe’s far right gain greater influence.

• Mustapha Tossa is a Franco-Moroccan journalist. In addition to having participated in the launch of Radio France Internationale’s Arabic service, he has notably worked for Monte Carlo Doualiya, TV5 Monde and France 24. He also maintains two blogs in French and Arabic, in which he discusses French and international politics with a focus on Arab and Maghrebi issues. X: @tossamus