European Trust in the Democratic Process and Institutions in the U.S

change as a key policy area in which the Biden administration can begin to repair relations and regain trust via policy collaboration and follow through. The remaining two sections will then

investigate the future of Europe’s own political parties with regard to the most recent American

election, and consider how Europe might chart a path towards greater self-reliance economically

and in international affairs.

What Now?

European Trust in the Democratic Process and Institutions in the U.S.

European trust in American democratic institutions has sharply declined as a result of

some of Trump’s international policies, the lead-up to both the election and the changing of

administrations, and the January 6 Capitol riots. Debates range on whether Trump’s tenure, including the rhetoric surrounding his campaign for reelection, was an anomaly amidst years of

relative democratic stability in the United States, or if he was, instead, an indication of a more

lasting populist movement that is mirrored in Europe and around the world. Beyond President Trump’s influence on American and global politics, the U.S. faces the remaining challenge of reestablishing the legitimacy of the American political system and democratic processes and

instilling trust among its allies.

“BROKEN SYSTEM” The U.S. has historically enjoyed a reputation of and presented itself as an exemplar

of democracy, promoting free and fair elections with peaceful transitions of power around the

globe, and positing its own democratic institutions as models to which other nations could

aspire. The 2020 U.S. election has undoubtedly tarnished the United States’ reputation as a

beacon of democratic governance, but despite the tumult of the election and transition of power,

many claim that the United States’ democratic institutions have passed a stress test, even if

not unscathed.133

Prior to November 7, few Europeans anticipated that the U.S. election would be

“completely free and fair” as illustrated in a 2020 YouGov tracker survey conducted in Britain, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and Sweden.134 The survey revealed a minority of

Europeans had confidence in the U.S. election; the perception of a free and fair election ranged from an abysmal 2% in Germany to just 11% in Italy—worrisome for the U.S., a country that

prides itself on its democratic elections.135 Similarly, the Pew Research Center found that a

majority of British, German, and French citizens believed the U.S. electoral system requires major changes or complete reform.136 Putting the proverbial nail in the coffin, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) stated that the “baseless allegations of systematic deficiencies, notably by the incumbent president, including on election night, harm public trust in democratic institutions.”137

TRUMP: ETIOLOGY OR SYMPTOM? With trust in the American electoral system at remarkably low levels abroad, many are seeking to contextualize Donald Trump’s presidency and electoral tactics as an anomaly, but

an observation of European political trends makes this argument difficult to justify. Right-wing populism in Europe and the United States is, of course, not the result of individual leaders or

figures, but rather the sustained negative reaction to policies on immigration and the increasing value placed on identity over integration.138 In addition to the growing backlash to globalization

that has fueled populist rhetoric, many reference increasingly polarized and biased media as

having a hand in the decay of American democracy.139 Neither media polarization nor backlash

to globalization can be attributed solely to Trump’s actions. In this light, Trump is more of an

accelerant or a symptom of widespread democratic decline than the catalyst for this decline.

Popular perceptions about the state of democracy in the U.S. may also reflect European attitudes towards their own democracies. Decreasing confidence in European democracy is readily observable in the successes of European right-wing populist movements. These

European populists echoed Trump’s claims of election fraud, explicitly referenced the claim that

mainstream media and political establishments could overturn election results, and cautioned

that the precedents set by the U.S. elections could have worldwide consequences. However, as

evidenced by the breadth of European responses to the U.S. election, this analysis cannot be

applied to all European democracies. The health and stability of American democracy has more

significant implications for countries, such as Ukraine, where their own democracies need to be bolstered by others. More stable democracies, such as that of Belgium, managed to utilize the perceived faltering of American democracy as a vehicle for critiquing their own electoral system.

Evidently, the pressures put on the American democratic process in 2020 are not

exceptional; internal and external criticisms of the strength of European democracies at the

national and EU level are widespread. While each nation faces unique challenges in preserving robust and representative democracies, the tactics utilized by the Trump administration in 2020

are not so much a departure from the norm as a harbinger of a new political reality.

CONTRASTING OPINIONS: THE RESILIENCY OF AMERICAN DEMOCRACY While most pundits agree that the 2020 U.S. election has led to deep European mistrust in America’s democracy, some have also argued the election has demonstrated the resilience of

its institutions. In Denmark, media outlet Berlingske published an editorial stating “America has

passed Trump’s stress test. America’s democratic institutions are even stronger than before.”140

Most legal and political scholars have agreed there was little merit to the fears that Trump would

successfully retain control of the presidency.141 No evidence of substantial fraud was found

despite extensive attempts by pro-Trump legal teams. A record 159 million Americans cast

votes in the election, with the electoral college determining Biden to be the winner. Biden was successfully inaugurated on January 20, 2021 in response to the will of the American people. Perhaps the most harrowing moment of the U.S. electoral process occurred on January 6, 2021 when pro-Trump rioters stormed the U.S. Capitol Building in an attempt to upset the certification of the electoral college outcome. Dozens of European leaders, including the Prime Ministers of

Spain, Portugal, and Greece, have since expressed faith in the strength of American democracy

and the resilience of democratic institutions.142 Although many of the leaders avoided directly

naming the cause of the riot and focused, instead, on supporting Biden and the legitimacy of the