PM Schoof congratulates Trump; Inauguration speech harsh, melancholic: Dutch newspapers

Prime Minister Dick Schoof has congratulated the newly sworn-in American President Donald Trump and his Vice President J.D. Vance on their inauguration. Schoof stressed that the Netherlands and the United States have a strong historical bond and have been allies for a long time. Most Dutch newspapers agreed on Tuesday that Trump’s inauguration speech sounded harsh and melancholic and that the launch of Trump’s own cryptocurrency paves the way for the self-enrichment of the small elite.

The Dutch Prime Minister said he looks forward to working with Trump and specifically mentioned NATO. Trump previously threatened to leave the military alliance if other member states did not invest more money. He recently mentioned a minimum contribution of 5 percent of the gross domestic product (GDP). That percentage is now 2 percent.

Trump also received congratulations from PVV leader Geert Wilders, who considers himself a kindred spirit of the American president. VVD leader Dilan Yeşilgöz wishes Trump much success with his term as president. According to her, the change of power in the United States also shows that Europe must “stand on its own two feet.”

GroenLinks-PvdA leader expects that Trump will act “transactional” and as a “dealmaker” in the coming four years, he said in the program Eva. Timmermans considers Trump’s position both an opportunity and a risk. In the best case, agreements are made that are good for both Europe in the United States. But for the war in Ukraine, for example, it could mean a major risk if Trump withdraws support because he cannot make a deal on another level.

According to Timmermans, the question is how Europe can do business with Trump, while at the same time maintaining mutual unity. He did not want to comment much more on the American change of power. “The Americans have chosen this and they must suffer the consequences themselves.” He did note that Trump’s government is “of millionaires and for millionaires.”

Dutch newspapers’ response

Most Dutch newspapers agree that Trump’s inauguration speech sounded harsh and melancholic. Opinion pieces state that the launch of Trump’s own cryptocurrency paves the way for the self-enrichment of a small elite.

“Trump promises his America a golden age,” Trouw headlined the front page. But the new future for America that he promises is highly uncertain given his hard nationalistic inauguration speech, the newspaper wrote.

“Trump left in 2021 as a pariah. But he has risen again with much more support,” NRC summarized Trum’s return. The newspaper’s U.S. correspondent stressed that Trump is in a stronger position due to a more convincing election victory and a “compliant Republican Party and political and financial support from tech billionaires who are at the controls of public opinion.”

“A rock-hard speech on an icy day,” wrote the Telegraaf about Trumnp’s speech.

The FD wrote that Trump’s inauguration speech, although optimistic in tone at times, sounded predominantly melancholic. “Trump wants to be known as a ‘peacemaker and connector.’ At the same time, he announced plans to reclaim the Panama Canal and is sending troops to the American border with Mexico.”

“As far as Trump speaks about faith, it is mainly faith in his own abilities,” wrote the Nederlands Dagblad about the role of faith in Trump’s inauguration ceremony. “He doesn’t quite say it yet, but it is clear from his first speech that he ascribes a messianic role to himself.”

An AD commentary was critical of Trump’s launch of his own cryptocurrency on Friday. “If this had happened in a so-called banana republic, all kinds of Western sanctions would have been announced, argued by the fact that the president is self-enriching,” writes Özcan Akyol.

Also in the Volkskrant, columnist Marcia Luyten wrote that Trump’s crypto coin was a sign of the coming “self-enrichment of a small clan, the predatory elite that big tech has joined.” She continued: “Control is nothing for Trump. The same goes for his power. As emperor, he will rule. Call it wishful thinking, but Napoleon was also grotesque, ambitious, and crazy about gold. And Napoleaon… found Waterloo.”