Trump leads a global push to the right

At the start of his second term, President Trump positioned himself at the forefront of a global wave of hardline conservative populism, offering fuel and inspiration to burgeoning nationalist parties in the European Union and the beyond.

These parties are generally united by strong anti-immigrant stances, support for what they call “traditional” values ​​in opposition to LGBT rights, an aversion to climate regulations, and pugnacious criticism of politicians and establishment parties.

To varying degrees, some, but not all, have also sought to weaken or undermine the institutions, such as courts or independent media, in what critics have called efforts to erode democracy and maintain an authoritarian grip on power.

It’s a broad spectrum that includes the Alternative for Germany, or AfD, which is trying to broaden its appeal ahead of next month’s elections but continues to nod to Nazi slogans; the Italian Brothers, who emerged from post-fascism but who moderated after coming to power; the National Rally, which has more deputies than ever in France after a long attempt to soften its image; and the Austrian Freedom Party, founded by former Nazi soldiers decades ago and which adopted a combative image en route to victory in last fall’s elections.

But the parties differ from each other, and from Mr. Trump, on critical issues. Rhetorically, Mr. Trump is at the far end of the spectrum of right-wing politicians and parties who have not hesitated to use overtly racist or inflammatory language to denigrate immigrants and political opponents.

In some cases, such as his calls to deport millions of undocumented immigrants, Mr. Trump has promised changes that many of his most devoted fans in Europe have failed to deliver.