Austria's Trump: A Comparison Of Political Strategies And Populism

In 2020, Donald Trump claimed that Austria's forests are filled with exploding trees, and that people in Austria live in forest cities. This comment was made in reference to the wildfires that were burning in multiple US states at the time.

Trump's comments sparked a response from Austrian politicians, who were keen to point out that, in reality, Austria is a country that lives with the forest and in a close, sustainable relationship with the natural environment. Austrian Federal Minister of Agriculture, Regions and Tourism, Elisabeth Köstinger, also clarified that Austria does not, in fact, have any exploding trees.

Trump's comments were not well-received, with Austrian politicians taking the opportunity to criticise the former US President for his stance on climate change, and to highlight the beauty of Austria's forests and natural landscapes.

Trump's comparison of Austria's forests to those in the US was also questioned by some, who saw it as an attempt to deflect attention from his administration's failure to address the country's wildfire problem.

Trump's comments on Austria's 'exploding trees'

In September 2020, then-President Donald Trump made comments about Austria's forests during a discussion about the wildfires in California. Trump cited Austria as an example of good forest management, claiming that the country had "exploding trees" and that people lived in "forest cities".

In response, Austrian Federal Minister of Agriculture, Regions and Tourism, Elisabeth Köstinger, clarified that Austria did not, in fact, have any exploding trees. She also emphasised the country's sustainable relationship with its natural environment and the importance of taking climate change seriously.

SPÖ Member of Parliament, Julia Herr, also responded to Trump's comments, highlighting the advantages of Austria's health and social system and explaining the benefits of public housing in Vienna. She directly addressed Trump, stating: "Just stop talking bullshit, sign the Paris Treaty again!"

Austria's response to Trump's claims

In September 2020, then-U.S. President Donald Trump made a series of claims about Austria and its forests in relation to the wildfires in California. Trump stated that people in Austria live in "forest cities" and that the country has "exploding trees".

Austrian Agriculture Minister Elisabeth Koestinger responded to Trump's claims in an article for the *London-based Independent. Koestinger clarified that Austrians do not live in the forest but rather "with the forest" and in a "close, sustainable relationship with the natural environment". She also refuted Trump's claim about exploding trees, stating that there are no such trees in Austria.

SPÖ Member of Parliament Julia Herr also responded to Trump's statements in a video, where she took the opportunity to highlight the advantages of Austria's health and social system and explain the benefits of public housing in Vienna. Herr also addressed Trump's claim that Austria does not experience wildfires, stating that there are forest fires in Austria and identifying their cause as the climate crisis.

Trump's comments sparked both serious and humorous conversations on social media, with Austrians normally taking such clichés about their country in their stride. However, Koestinger noted that the gravity of the current events, with thousands of people fighting wildfires, made Trump's words much more worrying.

Norbert Hofer: Austria's Far-Right Presidential Candidate

In addition to responding to Trump's claims about Austria's forests, it is worth noting that there have been comparisons made between Trump and Norbert Hofer, a far-right politician in Austria. Hofer has been described as the "Austrian Donald Trump" due to his anti-immigration stance, populist politics, and his promise to put "Austria First". However, it is important to note that Hofer's rhetoric is not as fiery as Trump's, and he denies being a right-wing politician, positioning himself "to the left of the US Democrats".

Norbert Hofer – 'Austria's Donald Trump'

Norbert Hofer, the former leader of Austria's Freedom Party, has been likened to Donald Trump for his populist, far-right politics and anti-immigration stance. Hofer himself has drawn comparisons between himself and Trump, seeing the former US president's victory as a sign that he is on the right track with his Austria-first campaign.

Like Trump, Hofer has positioned himself as a nationalist who understands the concerns of ordinary people. He has also called for a ban on "economic migrants" and the creation of "safety areas" outside Europe where asylum requests can be processed.

However, Hofer has denied that he is a right-wing politician, claiming in an interview that he is "to the left of the US Democrats". He has also been described as soft-spoken, in contrast to Trump's fiery rhetoric.

Hofer's anti-immigration message helped him rise from relative obscurity outside political circles to taking 35% of the votes in the first round of the 2016 Austrian presidential elections. He ultimately lost the election to Independent candidate Alexander van der Bellen, but only by a small margin.

Hofer's success was seen as a major watershed moment for Europe, signalling a shift towards the far-right in a region that has broadly steered clear of such politics since World War II.

Trump's stance on immigration

Donald Trump's stance on immigration has been a signature issue of his presidential campaigns and his proposed reforms and remarks about this issue have generated much publicity.

Trump has repeatedly said that illegal immigrants are criminals. He has also expressed support for a variety of "limits on legal immigration and guest-worker visas", including a pause on granting green cards, which Trump says will "allow record immigration levels to subside to more moderate historical averages".

Trump's proposals regarding H-1B visas frequently changed throughout his presidential campaign, but as of late July 2016, he appeared to oppose the H-1B visa program.

As president, on January 27, 2017, Trump issued an executive order banning the admission of travelers, immigrants, and refugees from seven Muslim-majority nations, which later expanded to thirteen in 2020. In response to legal challenges, he revised the ban twice, with his third version being upheld by the Supreme Court in June 2018.

Trump has also called for tripling the number of Border Patrol agents. He has repeatedly pledged to build a wall along the U.S.'s southern border, and has said that Mexico would pay for its construction through increased border-crossing fees and NAFTA tariffs.

Trump's first term in office saw a decrease in the number of undocumented immigrants deported. While U.S. Immigration Customs Enforcement conducted hundreds of raids in workspaces and sent removal orders to families, they did not deport as many immigrants as were deported under Obama's presidency.

During the 2024 election, Trump stated that his plan would follow the 'Eisenhower model', a reference to the 1954 campaign Operation Wetback, stating to a crowd in Iowa: "Following the Eisenhower model, we will carry out the largest domestic deportation operation in American history."

Trump has proposed making it more difficult for asylum-seekers and refugees to enter the United States, and making the e-Verify system mandatory for employers.

Trump's comparison to Hofer

Norbert Hofer, the Austrian Freedom Party's presidential candidate, drew parallels between his campaign and Donald Trump's victory in the US. Hofer believed that Trump's triumph was proof that his own Austria-first campaign was on the right track. Hofer's campaign included calls to stop immigration and a focus on the refugee crisis. He also rallied for a ban on what the Freedom Party called "economic migrants".

Both Hofer and Trump saw themselves as nationalists who recognised the concerns of ordinary people who felt ignored by the political establishment. Hofer believed that, like Trump, he was facing strong political headwinds but would still win the election.

Trump's victory and Britain's vote to leave the European Union unleashed a populist wave that could transform Europe's political landscape. Hofer's victory in the Austrian election rerun would have made him the first right-wing populist head of state in the EU.

Both Trump and Hofer's campaigns were dominated by the migration crisis and recent terrorist attacks. They both called for policies of exclusion, keeping immigrants out by building fences and walls.

Hofer's supporters were mostly white-collar and male, often portrayed as "globalization losers". They felt threatened and marginalised by the new world order, turning to populist and nationalist beliefs.

Trump and Hofer continuously questioned the validity of democratic systems and their institutions, undermining the very system that made their candidacies possible.

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