MAGA's European Buddies Had a Bad Week. It May Be an Omen

Europe’s big political story has been the rise and rise of right-wing populists taking up President Donald Trump’s call to smash the liberal consensus and defend the continent from “civilizational erasure.” Written off after every election reversal or European crisis, they only seem to come back stronger: Italy’s Giorgia Meloni has been in power since 2022 (practically a record in her country), Marine Le Pen’s National Rally has the biggest share of seats in France’s parliament and the AfD holds the second-most in Germany’s. The question has been when, not if, they will clinch their next prize.

Hence the significance of the struggles MAGA’s fellow travelers experienced in Europe this week. Meloni was dealt the biggest loss of her tenure with a referendum defeat on proposed judicial reform, which has already prompted resignations among her officials and triggered a confidence vote. France’s Le Pen failed to make a significant breakthrough in local elections, despite hopes her party might win a major city like Marseille. In Slovenia, nationalist Janez Jansa was edged out by liberal Robert Golob. And in German state elections, center-right leader Friedrich Merz came top despite an AfD surge.