More than half of people in the Netherlands sympathise with at least some elements of Donald Trump’s MAGA ideology, according to new research by the Clingendael Institute.
These findings come as a surprise given that the country would also have voted overwhelmingly for Kamala Harris if given the chance.
The study, reported on by RTL Nieuws, surveyed 4,297 Dutch residents weighted to be representative of the national population.
It asked participants about their support for the various strands of thought that make up the Make America Great Again (MAGA) movement in the United States.
These topics ranged from immigration scepticism and anti-institutionalism to Christian nationalism and tech libertarianism. Quite the ideological buffet!
So how MAGA is the Netherlands, exactly?
It’s important to note that no single strand of MAGA commands majority support here.
Some individual positions attract broader support, though.
A notable 46% of respondents agreed with Trump’s claim that there are “shithole countries” where people “are not capable of good governance” — a figure that raises eyebrows given how few Dutch politicians would dare touch that kind of rhetoric.
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Relevantly, up to 54% of respondents agreed with the MAGA narrative that “western civilisation” is under threat.
Moreover, around one in five respondents said they’d welcome a “Make Europe Great Again” (MEGA) project modelled on MAGA.
A slightly smaller share — 18% — said they’d also support American involvement in funding or promoting such a project.
Which voters are most on board?
Different voters have different opinions on MAGA (shocking, right?)
Supporters of the PVV, FvD, JA21, and BBB are the most receptive to Trump-aligned ideas.
VVD supporters show some sympathy too, while D66 and GroenLinks-PvdA voters are the least persuaded — no surprises there.
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There’s also a notable gender split among younger people. Women aged 18 to 34 are significantly less receptive to MAGA ideas than any other demographic group.
Men in the same age bracket, meanwhile, show levels of sympathy in line with older generations (both male and female), making them more likely to agree with MAGA ideologies and ideas than their female counterparts.
But do they actually like Trump?
Not particularly.
Despite the ideological overlap, personal enthusiasm for the big orange man himself is a different story.
More than two-thirds of eligible Dutch voters said they would have backed Harris in the US election, compared to just 16% who would have voted for Trump.
@therecount Watch this Dutch couple try to make sense of U.S. politics #fyp #news #politics #political #politicalnews #politicaltiktok #uspolitics #donaldtrump #trump ♬ original sound – therecount
So, while the ideas behind MAGA might be impactful to some Dutchies, most wouldn’t have voted for Trump if given the choice.
Does it surprise you that MAGA ideas resonate with so many Dutch people? Let us know in the comments.
