Vox and Aliança Catalana, the only parties defending Trump in the Parliament

BarcelonaUS President Donald Trump is setting the international agenda. With tariffs, deportations or the peace summit in Ukraine with Russia. As the captain of the global reactionary wave, he has dedicated himself to showing harmony with his international allies, while his vice president, JD Vance, booed the European Union. However, it has also brought to light contradictions with some of the measures that affect European or South American trade and that in Catalonia have been tricking Vox and Aliança Catalana in the same way, the only two Trumpist parties that have representation in the Parliament. Because Trump's project, in the Principality and also in the State, is alone beyond the ultra allies. How the only Trumpist parties react, even when they are against them the measures they propose?

If Santiago Abascal united the radical right of Patriots for Europe and received the support of Trump – he was invited to his investiture – it is also true that the economic measures are the weapon that the left and even the PP have used to expose their contradictions. The popular leader, Alberto Núñez Feijóo, is using it to criticize "the complicit silence of parties like Vox who say that everything the US administration does is well done" and which can affect industry and the peasantry In Spain, however, Vox remains close to Trump and will participate in the Conservative Action Political Conference, a key summit of the radical right in the US, which is being held this week and which will include collaborators of the American president, after he himself participated personally last year.

When Vox is asked publicly, they avoid attacking Trump for the tariffs, as does Alianza. Vox sources consulted by ARA stress that the contradictions "are not relevant" and that they do not care at all because broadly speaking, the American president "inspires the policy" that they want to apply here and that he is an "example" of their roadmap. In fact, they praise the pillars of the global turnaround such as border control and immigration, as well as support for national industry. They are aware that there may be some uncomfortable deportations and tariffs that could harm Spain, but they take it with a certain understanding because they would do the same in Spain regarding tariffs and immigration. In fact, beyond the respect they want to show for each country – they have not publicly criticized either Spanish has been removed from the White House website– where they focus is on criticising the European Green Deal, which they believe is “more damaging” than tariffs. Nor were they shocked when Trump ended up with Spain in the BRICS countries, confusing it with South Africa and threatening 100% tariffs, limiting himself to blaming Pedro Sánchez. On Trump’s threats in Ukraine, they have not raised their voice as a party – beyond the MEP Hermann Tertsch – despite being pro-Ukrainian according to their state spokesperson, although with pro-Russian allies.

A strategy copied from that of the Alliance: Beyond the known sympathy for Trump And with allies that she shares with Vox, Silvia Orriols' party also opted to play up the tariffs in an interview on Catalunya Ràdio this Tuesday: "What most harms the businessmen and ranchers here in Ripoll and throughout Catalonia are the agreements that are made within the European Union with Mercosur and in a totally unfair way with third world countries." She was not so enthusiastic about Trump in person, but she was in her program: "He is not a person that I particularly like, but I consider that they have voted for him [...] and I believe that he can contribute to a change in the world order that I think can be positive." They also did not raise their voices about the threats against Ukraine because they do not have "any position" nor is it their responsibility to speak out, according to the sources consulted, who say they are only concerned about Catalonia.

On the other hand, the PP did not show sympathy for Trump, but discomfort, while Junts was especially forceful when talking about "the amendment to the democratic system" by the American, in the words of Carles Puigdemont, in line with the left-wing parties. Isabel Díaz Ayuso did seem uncomfortable with the war on Trump declared by Pedro Sánchez, but she also did not show harmony with the American leader, unlike what she did with Javier Milei. PP sources say that "it is evident that protectionist and closed politics do not benefit anyone" and they choose to mark distances. "Another thing is that one can disagree, but that for importance one must have a relationship [with Trump]," they add. In this sense, they criticize Vox for being "taken" by Trump and point out that, if compared to Milei, they are "two totally different concepts," which means that not even the Madrid PP, the most liberal, is tempted by the economic policy of the US.

Vox Support in Alliance

The understanding between Alianza and Vox is increasingly frequent: pineapple against islam, against the fines of the Equality Department of the ERC Government, Parliamentary agreements to close mosques and to include the Spanish police in the update of the terrorism prevention protocol, and in motions on security and immigration. On the other hand, Vox also expressed its opinion on the failed motion against Orriols: "The residents are fed up with the situation they suffer in their streets and all [the traditional parties] are trying to unite to evict a mayor who has been voted for by their citizens. In the end, they demonstrate once again that they are all always coughing, after emphasizing that citizens do not want irregular immigration and that the anti-immigration "story" is winning.

In fact, these coincidences, also of alliances, made the number two of Aliança, Jordi Aragonès, tell ARA that they were willing to share a group with Vox in Europe, although Silvia Orriols has distanced herself this week: "It will be difficult to see me at any summit where there are representatives of the Spanish state and the French state, which are two states that threaten the national integrity of Catalonia."