If Le Pen were to win the national election in France, a “Frexit” would soon to follow, giving France political, and in some sense, cultural autonomy. This would deeply affect the economy of Europe and beyond. It would also shake up the state of security on the continent. The EU, after all, was originally envisioned as a way to bind European countries together in order to ensure they never go to war with one another again. France pulling out of the EU would be one more step toward its demise.
But Europe’s ruling class isn’t just worried that Trump’s election will bolster far-right party leadership. The spectacle of 60 million Americans voting for an underdog outsider, who defies political correctness and dominant political orthodoxies, legitimizes European voters who’ve thought about voting for a nationalist candidate but thought it futile or socially unacceptable. After Trump and Brexit, they see that it’s possible to bring about political change, and that many people think like them. This will certainly have an effect on voter turnout in upcoming European elections.
Rather than being a sign of things to come, Trump symbolizes that which is already here. He proved how possible it is to make radical changes in the political trajectory of a country and a continent—and how fed up average voters are with the status quo. European leaders have reason to worry that they might be next up on the chopping block.
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