Dear Europe: Trump and Vance do not speak for us
A letter from a U.S. birthright citizen to our allies in Germany, Ukraine and throughout the continent
Dear Europe: I speak for the 75 million Americans who did not vote for Trump and Vance in the last election, and I’ll go further and speak for a few million others who cast no vote at all, dooming our country to another presidency for a racist ignoramus and, since his last time in office, convicted felon:
We agree with nothing Trump and Vance say. They lie frequently and their statements are frequently reckless. We see them as a clear threat to democracy here and abroad.
In November’s election, Trump won about 2.2 million more votes than Kamala Harris did. He had 49.3% of the 2024 popular vote; she had 48.3%.
That tragic result left millions of Americans in various levels of distress. It was traumatic for some, baffling for most of us. And, since last month, when Trump took office and decided to share executive power with Musk, Americans who love democracy and cherish decency have been even more shocked and confused.
As a friend of mine said the other night, we are witnessing a full frontal attack on “everything we believed in as Americans.” He spoke for the baby boom generation, the one born after the U.S. and its allies fought to end World War II and the murderous tyranny of dictators.
And now that the U.S. vice-president, the obsequiuos Vance — a second-rate Machiavelli who once referred to Trump as a “moral disaster” and compared him to Hitler — has sent the vulgar message that Germany should embrace a Nazi-sympathizing political party, I feel a need to speak for my fellow Americans.
You need to know that there are still millions of rational people in the U.S. who believe the following:
That Vance’s statement about Germany making room for the extreme right represents an outrageous betrayal of the values we have embraced since World War II — that “never again” will America and its allies tolerate or appease fascism.
That we remember and mourn those lost in the Holocaust and those who shed blood, sweat and tears, here and abroad, to save democracy from fascism.
That we want our country to always honor the alliances made in the 20th Century to protect human rights and the sovereignty of nations in the 21st Century.
That the greatest threat to democracy is the rise of white supremacy and right-wing extremism, the hateful ideology of Trump supporters like those who tried to overthrow the results of the 2020 election by attacking our Capitol. We find repugnant Trump’s pardon of those who took part in the Jan. 6 insurrection and violently attacked police officers.
That the U.S. should be a beacon of liberal democracy and that the present tragedy terrifies, or at least embarrasses, us. We know the world is watching, and we take very seriously the threat Trump, Vance and their allies pose to democracy.
That we want the U.S. to be not only wealthy and powerful but decent and humane. That’s our idea of “great.” We are appalled at Trump-Musk’s despicable dismantling of the agency, USAID, that for decades has sent funds and food to countries in crisis. Such foreign aid is one of many things that made us proud to be Americans.
That a lot of the far-right extremism is fueled by bigotry and hatred of “the other,” particularly the migrants who seek a better life away from political turmoil, violence, poverty and natural disasters. Rather than reacting with fear-mongering and hatred, most of us want to see a humane, common-sense response coordinated among the nations most affected by migration. Trump’s plan to deport undocumented immigrants results from a hateful obsession with the “other.” It will hurt the U.S. economy and our nation’s reputation for welcoming the stranger.
That the U.S. should fully support Ukraine in its existential war with Russia. Ukraine did not start the war, as Trump suggests. We are appalled at Trump’s knee-bending behavior toward the murderous dictator Putin and his concessions to Moscow. It’s disgusting.
We believe in climate change and that the U.S. should be the global leader in slowing it down.
We believe in the rule of law, and that ultimately the U.S. Constitution will survive Trump’s attempts to ignore it or tear it down.
And most of us still believe that we can turn this around and return our country to its historic path: Representative government, checks and balances, the separation of powers, no man above the law, unambiguous support for allies, and a president who has integrity and respects the Constitution.
Thank you, Dan. Especially for the hope in the last paragraph, which lifted me up on this dark Sunday morning, delivering so many reasons to despair. I give thanks today that you are still there, that we can still find you (we who continued to console ourselves with your column in The Baltimore Sun, while the rest of our beloved morning paper degraded before our eyes).
Grateful to you, Dan, for putting into words so eloquently, what I, as a naturalized citizen, think and feel. I chose to make this country my home over some 50 years ago, exactly for all the values you mention. That we would be experiencing the current administration of delusions, lies, cruelty, and total disregard for patriotism is beyond belief. But like you, I do maintain hope and faith that we will prevail.