Patriots co-founder Andrej Babiš, the leader of Czechia’s largest and most popular opposition party, ANO, declared the sovereigntists’ support for President Trump in an interview ahead of his inauguration on Sunday, January 19th.
Speaking to CNN’s Czech subsidiary Prima News, Babiš said that members of the Patriots for Europe (PfE) group were confident that Trump would deliver on his promises, especially ending the war in Ukraine.
“We [the Patriots] are his allies,” Babiš said, adding that several Patriot MEPs are in Washington to witness the historic transition. He then reiterated that the group trusts Trump to find a diplomatic solution to the war, which would not only prevent further unnecessary bloodshed and possible escalation, but come as a great relief to Europe’s struggling economy.
Trump’s transactional pragmatism could also revive the transatlantic relationship between Washington and Brussels, Babiš said, in which Patriots could play an important role. “You can talk to Trump”, as opposed to a more ideologically rigid Democrat president, he explained. “Trump must understand that Europe is his ally, and we, the Patriots for Europe, have stood behind him.”
At the same time, the ANO leader said Trump’s suggested 5% (GDP) defense spending target would be too high for most European countries, but added that the president will understand that with growing economies, a lower target will be enough to strengthen NATO’s security. He’s not alone in this; NATO chief Mark Rutte also floated a more realistic figure of around 3.5%.
Later this year, Babiš’ sovereigntist party will most likely win the Czech parliamentary elections, putting the former prime minister back behind the wheel. Not only is ANO consistently polling far above the ruling center-right coalition, but current prime minister Petr Fiala (ODS/ECR) is among the most unpopular leaders in Europe, with an approval rate of just 17% (even below Scholz’s 19% and Macron’s 18%).
Babiš noted that besides being the third-largest group in the EU Parliament, the number of Patriot governments will only grow in the coming period, putting the alliance in a stronger position on the EU Council as well. Apart from the Czech Republic, Patriots are set to take control in Austria under the Herbert Kickl-led ÖFP, and the party leader also expects National Rally leader Jordan Bardella to eventually become the next French prime minister.
The group also includes the Hungarian ruling party Fidesz, as well as the Italian Lega and the Dutch PVV who are both part of their current coalitions. Hungarian PM Viktor Orbán also hailed Trump’s inauguration as the start of a “new golden age” for his country and conservatives across Europe, and said there was now an opportunity for all patriots to “expel the Soros network” from their countries with the help of the U.S.
The EU Parliament’s other main conservative bloc, the European Conservative and Reformist (ECR) group also aims to become Trump’s main ally in Brussels. ECR also sent a delegation to Trump’s inauguration, led by the party’s newly elected president, former Polish PM Mateusz Morawiecki.
ECR will definitely be a valuable partner for Washington, especially since it includes Italian PM Giorgia Meloni’s Fratelli d’Italia party. However, as several of the president’s close associates have noted, Trump’s “natural” allies are Patriots like Orbán and Le Pen, as Meloni and ECR have begun cozying up to the EU mainstream lately, and the group even stands opposite of Trump when it comes to his pro-ceasefire approach to Ukraine.
Moreover, while ECR is happy to cooperate both with von der Leyen’s centrist EPP on its left and the Patriots on its right on certain issues, it categorically rejects any association with the German AfD-led Europe of Sovereign Nations (ESN) group. “They [ESN] are not our friends, not at all,” Morawiecki said last week after being elected as ECR president. With Elon Musk openly endorsing AfD for next month’s German elections, this could be seen as yet another breaking point between the Trump administration and ECR.
