Has anyone else thought of Rearden’s wife while observing European politicians bashing Donald Trump?
I remember Rearden’s wife in Ayn Rand’s novel Atlas Shrugged to belittle individual merit and valueing pretty much everything over substance.
Europe’s frustration with Trump also comes down to moral posturing. While European leaders pride themselves on their “superior morals”, they proved utterly useless in resolving long-standing crises. Donald Trump, for all the flaws he might have, has demonstrated a willingness to confront these crises head-on, and like Rearden and Galt, he has to endure widespread condemnation for it.
Let’s take a closer look.
Since the establishment of Israel in 1948 and the subsequent Arab-Israeli wars, Gaza has endured cycles of violence, displacement, and economic devastation. We count thousands of civilian casualties, the destruction of homes, schools, and hospitals, and a humanitarian crisis marked by food insecurity, limited access to clean water, and inadequate healthcare. The people of Gaza are trapped in what has been described as an “open-air prison,” and continue to endure immense suffering, with much of Gaza lying in ashes, no houses to live in — all with no clear resolution in sight. Trump has suggested relocating Gazans to other Arab countries while rebuilding Gaza. (They couldn’t leave before because no one would accept them, not even the governments of Arab states that pretend to care about Gaza but actually do not). Which solution does European offer? None. They call Trump crazy and erratic, but all they ve got for Gaza is, “Respect human rights, don’t work with terrorists, let’s pursue a two-state solution,” which, let’s be honest, why should the Israeli government accept it all of a sudden? So why waste time on it? Because it sounds nice? The result: continue to suffer forever. Congratulations.
Similarly, the war in Ukraine, which escalated dramatically with Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022: Thousands of civilians have been killed or injured, and millions have been displaced. Cities have been reduced to rubble, with critical infrastructure, including hospitals, schools, and energy facilities, deliberately targeted. So did the Europeans step up? No! To begin with Germany took forever to send 5,000 helmets to Ukraine, a complete joke. Eventually, Europe started backing Ukraine enough, so that Ucraine wouldn’t lose – but not enough for them to kick Russia’s ass. So we are faced with the exact same situation as at the beginning of the invasion. Russia is occupying 20% of Ukraine’s territory and 1 million soldiers lost their lifes on each side. So let’s keep it this way and have this death toll increase further? Is that what Europe has to offer? Yes, that’s pretty much it! They are not willing (and frankly not able) to lead Ukraine to victory. But if Trump pressures both sides to end this disaster, they call him a mean traitor… Did I mention that the EU oficially bought €15bn worth of gas from Russia in 2024? Shadow trade should be much higher than that. At the same time the EU gave €19bn of financial “aid” to Kyiv… And by aid they mean loans… (check the stats here: Statistics | Eurostat)
Next, the war in Yemen, which began in 2014 when Houthi rebels seized control of much of the country and which has spiraled into one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises.
The war has devastated Yemen’s infrastructure, leaving millions without access to clean water, healthcare, or adequate food. There is widespread malnutrition and the largest cholera outbreak in modern history.
So what does Europe do? Ochastrate the odd ceasefire and send humanitarian aid – fair enough – but nothing to solve the conflict. But Trump bombing Houthis? Well, that is very bad indeed. He didn’t start the fire!
In the end, leadership requires more than just pretty words—it demands action and a willingness to confront the hard truths of a complex world. Whether Trump’s approach will ultimately prove successful remains to be seen, but his actions have undoubtedly forced a reckoning with the limitations of Europe’s moralistic and often ineffectual diplomacy. No world problem will be solved by wishful thinking.
