15.04.2026, Rome.
European politicians who closely cooperate with US President Donald Trump risk losing part of their electorate due to the unpredictable actions of the US president, Rossa Primavera News Agency Europe Desk writes on April 15.
The defeat of Viktor Orbán in the parliamentary elections in Hungary is not just a local political phenomenon. It may indicate a shift in the mood of the European electorate. For many years, Orbán seemed invincible, but it was his main foreign policy bet that ultimately turned against him.
One of the important factors that alienated moderate conservatives and undecided voters from the prime minister was his emphasized, demonstrative closeness to Trump. In recent months, the US president has crossed all possible political boundaries, beginning to behave in an openly unpredictable, eccentric, and reckless manner.
A new trend emerge has emerged. Direct and close ties of the European politicians with Trump are becoming detrimental to their popularity among voters. Whereas until recently leaders of the European right were vying for the status of ‘best friend’ to US conservatives, this label has now become a political ‘stigma’. EU citizens do not want their countries to be drawn into the orbit of Washington’s chaotic decisions.
This Hungarian precedent should be a cause for serious concern in Rome. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who is set to lead her coalition into the general parliamentary elections in 2027, has found herself in an extremely vulnerable position. Previously, Meloni had actively positioned herself as Trump’s chief supporter in the EU, attempting to build a bridge between him and the European elites.
In the early months of 2026, she found herself literally caught between two fires (loyalty to Trump and loyalty to the EU). But it seems the moment has come when she must finally make up her mind.
It is extremely damaging for her to be associated with the extravagant actions of the current US administration. Italian voters are sensitive to the risks of economic destabilization, and Trump’s sharply increased toxicity is capable of driving away the critically important centrists from the Brothers of Italy party.
On the other hand, a sharp public renunciation of Trump would give her coalition rivals (such as Matteo Salvini) and the radical right core electorate a reason to accuse Meloni of betraying ideals and capitulating to the Euro-bureaucracy.
If Meloni fails to distance herself from this political vortex in time, the toxic “shadow of Trump” risks burying her re-election ambitions just as it happened with Orbán.
Source: Rossa Primavera News Agency
