Liberland, a self-proclaimed country in Eastern Europe, hopes for recognition from Trump

The teams believe that the Trump presidency might mean good things for Liberland, the country declared by Jedlicka along the banks of the Danube River in April 2015. Liberland, so named because of its emphasis on libertarian values that include optional taxes, is what’s known as a micronation: its entire land mass is smaller than three square miles. Technically, neither of its neighbors, Serbia and Croatia, claim the land — which led Jedlicka to decide it was free for the taking…

Liberland has run into a number of problems — not least that Jedlicka and other Liberland citizens do not have constant access to the land itself. Plus, no nation, including the United States, recognize it. If Hillary Clinton had won the presidency in November, Liberland would almost certainly have stayed off the U.S. government’s radar.

But with Trump, there is a sense that anything could happen. Before he took office, the unconventional businessman-turned-politician had suggested he may upend foreign policy in a variety of ways — from moving the U.S. Embassy in Israel to Jerusalem and implicitly recognizing the city as the Israeli capital, to drastically rethinking the U.S. relationship with NATO. While these moves may cause panic with some traditional U.S. allies, Jedlicka said he is encouraged.