Chapter 124: Pretty Savvy

459     won . . . fifty-seven seats, a twenty-six-seat increase  International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES) Election Guide, “Austrian National Council 2024 General,” September 29, 2024, last updated December 6, 2024, accessed April 24, 2025, www.electionguide.org/elections/id/4296/.

459     “how far we’ve come” Herbert Kickl quoted in Francois Murphy and Dave Graham, “Far Right Wins Austria Election, Boosting European Right-Wing Surge,” Reuters, September 29, 2024, www.reuters.com/world/europe/austria-holds-tight-election-with-far-right-bidding-historic-win-2024-09-28/.

459     founded by former Nazis in 1956 and dismissed for years, to renovating . . .  “Austrian Far-Right Freedom Party Dogged by Nazi Past,” France 24, September 25, 2019, www.france24.com/en/20190925-austrian-far-right-freedom-party-dogged-by-nazi-past.

459     regained control of . . . presidency and parliament  Konstantin Testorides, “North Macedonia Elects First Woman President as Center-Left Incumbents Suffer Historic Losses,” Associate Press (AP) News, May 8, 2024, apnews.com/article/north-macedonia-election-corruption-european-union-bulgaria-ac12182171ed7d46f160feeb469c7aa4.

459     seven years after . . . the invasion of parliament Valerie Hopkins,” What Happened in Macedonia, and Why,” The Atlantic, April 28, 2017, www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2017/04/macedonia-parliament-zaev-nationalist-violence-eu-europe/524733/.

459     all won the largest number of seats in parliamentary elections  On Chega’s performance, see Miguel Macias, “In Portugal, an Election Results in Uncertainty and the Rise of the Far Right,” NPR, March 14, 2024, www.npr.org/2024/03/14/1238226873/portugal-election-uncertainty-far-right. On Flemish Interest’s performance, see IFES Election Guide, “Belgian Chamber of Representatives 2007 General,” June 10, 2007, last updated June 21, 2024, accessed April 24, 2025, www.electionguide.org/elections/id/399/; , IFES Election Guide, “Belgian Chamber of Representatives 2010 General,” June 13, 2010, last updated August 2, 2023, accessed April 24, 2025, www.electionguide.org/elections/id/984/; IFES Election Guide, “Belgian Chamber of Representatives 2014 General,” May 25, 2014, last updated June 21, 2024, accessed April 24, 2025, www.electionguide.org/elections/id/2404/; IFES Election Guide, “Belgian Chamber of Representatives 2019 General,” May 26, 2019, last updated June 21, 2024, accessed April 24, 2025, www.electionguide.org/elections/id/3150/; and IFES Election Guide, “Belgian Chamber of Representatives, 2024 General,” June 9, 2024, last updated November 18, 2024 accessed April 24, 2025, www.electionguide.org/elections/id/4200/. On the Revival party’s performance, see IFES Election Guide, “Bulgarian National Assembly 2017 General,” March 26, 2017, last updated June 21, 2024, accessed April 24, 2025, www.electionguide.org/elections/id/2499/; IFES Election Guide, “Bulgarian National Assembly 2021 General April,” April 4, 2021, last updated August 23, 2023, accessed April 24, 2025, www.electionguide.org/elections/id/3595/; IFES Election Guide, “Bulgarian National Assembly 2021 General July,” July 11, 2021, last updated June 21, 2024, accessed April 24, 2025, www.electionguide.org/elections/id/3742/; IFES Election Guide, “Bulgarian National Assembly 2021 General November,” November 14, 2021, last updated August 16, 2023, accessed April 24, 2025, www.electionguide.org/elections/id/3960/; IFES Election Guide, “Bulgarian National Assembly 2022 General,” October 2, 2022, last updated August 23, 2023, accessed April 24, 2025, www.electionguide.org/elections/id/3966/; IFES Election Guide, “Bulgarian National Assembly 2023 General,” April 2, 2023, last updated August 15, 2023, accessed April 24, 2025, www.electionguide.org/elections/id/4085/; IFES Election Guide, “Bulgarian National Assembly 2024 General,” June 9, 2024, last updated June 11, 2024, accessed April 24, 2025, www.electionguide.org/elections/id/4440/. 

459     made some electoral gains . . . especially at the local level Natalia A. Ramos Miranda and Fabian Cambero, “Chile’s Right Gains Against Boric Government in Less Polarizing Regional Vote,” Reuters, October 28, 2024, . www.reuters.com/world/americas/chiles-right-gains-against-boric-government-less-polarizing-regional-vote-2024-10-28/.

459     not eligible to run for reelection “Chile does not permit immediate re-election, but a president is welcome to seek office again after a period of four years.” Jan Martínez Ahrens and Rocío Montes, “Gabriel Boric, President of Chile: ‘The Left in Latin America Has had a Tendency Not to Take Responsibility for Its Own Mistakes,’” El País English, March 12, 2024, english.elpais.com/international/2024-03-12/gabriel-boric-president-of-chile-the-left-in-latin-america-has-had-a-tendency-not-to-take-responsibility-for-its-own-mistakes.html.

459     For all of 2024 . . . led in the polls CADEM, Cadem Public Square, Survey No. 570, Second Week of December, 2024, accessed via Wayback Machine, December 16, 2024 capture, web.archive.org/web/20241216013801/cadem.cl/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Track-PP-570-Diciembre-S2-VF.pdf, 18, via Google Translate.

459     Second to Matthei in the polls  Kast tied with former president and Socialist Party member Michelle Bachelet for second in August 2024 and trailed Bachelet in September and October of that year, after Bachelet had announced she would not run in 2025. CADEM, Cadem Public Square, web.archive.org/web/20241216013801/cadem.cl/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Track-PP-570-Diciembre-S2-VF.pdf, 18; and José Navarrete, “Michelle Bachelet Rules Out Intention to Run for La Moneda in 2025: ‘I Am Not a Candidate,’” La Tercera, August 19, 2024, www.latercera.com/politica/noticia/michelle-bachelet-yo-no-soy-candidata/VEOBLSUKKZD2VIKGS2Q3X3RTOI, via Google Translate.

460     linked . . . accusing them of providing preferential treatment . . .  YP Rajesh and Rupam Jain, “India’s Modi Calls Rivals Pro-Muslim as Election Campaign Changes Tack,” Reuters, April 23, 2024, www.reuters.com/world/india/indias-modi-calls-rivals-pro-muslim-election-campaign-changes-tack-2024-04-23/.

460     won an outright majority . . . since it seized power in 2014  Krutika Pathi et al., “Modi Claims Victory in India’s Election but Drop in Support Forces Him to Rely on Coalition Partners,” AP News, June 4, 2024, apnews.com/article/india-election-results-2024-lok-sabha-modi-bjp-7893efecc83fa8225a611f174e6420ee.

460     Not this time Pathi et al., “Modi Claims Victory in India’s Election but Drop in Support Forces Him to Rely on Coalition Partners,” apnews.com/article/india-election-results-2024-lok-sabha-modi-bjp-7893efecc83fa8225a611f174e6420ee.

460     did obtain the most votes, ensuring . . . Modi is “only the second Indian prime minister to win a third consecutive term.” Joshua Keating, “India’s Election Shows the World’s Largest Democracy Is Still a Democracy,” Vox, June 4, 2024, www.vox.com/world-politics/353785/india-election-2024-modi-bjp.

460     more than double. . . called snap legislative elections  Sylvie Corbet, Associated Press, “Macron Dissolves France’s National Assembly, Calls Snap Election After Defeat in EU Vote,” PBS News, June 9, 2024, www.pbs.org/newshour/world/macron-dissolves-frances-national-assembly-calls-snap-election-after-defeat-in-eu-vote.

460     earned the most votes  Roger Cohen, “French Far Right Wins Big in First Round of Voting,” New York Times, June 30, 2024, last updated July 7, 2024, www.nytimes.com/2024/06/30/world/europe/france-elections.html.

460     united and rallied . . . dropping her political bloc to third  John Leicester, Associated Press, “How French Voters Formed a ‘Republican Front’ to block the Far-Right’s Path to Victory,” PBS News, July 8, 2024, www.pbs.org/newshour/world/how-french-voters-formed-a-republican-front-to-block-the-far-rights-path-to-victory.

460     appeared poised . . . in 2027  Alice Tidey, “Far-Right Loses France’s Snap Elections but Sets Sight on 2027 Presidential Vote,” Euronews, July 8, 2024, www.euronews.com/my-europe/2024/07/08/far-right-loses-frances-snap-elections-but-sets-sight-on-2027-presidential-vote; and James Regan, “Le Pen Leads Poll Ahead of France’s 2027 Presidential Election,” Bloomberg, September 12, 2024, www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-09-12/le-pen-leads-poll-ahead-of-france-s-2027-presidential-election.

460     shut out of the European Parliament . . . only six local seats in 2024  Cormac McQuinn, “Political Parties with Far-Right Views on Immigration Form Alliance to Maximise Election Chances,” Irish Times, October 12, 2024, www.irishtimes.com/politics/2024/10/12/political-parties-with-far-right-views-on-immigration-form-alliance-to-maximise-election-chances/; Stephen McDermott, “Over 100 Far-Right Candidates Stood in This Year’s Elections: Could They Become a Political Force?” The Journal, June 15, 2024, www.thejournal.ie/ireland-far-right-local-elections-analysis-6404693-Jun2024/; and European Parliament, “Results by National Party—2024–2029: Ireland—Official Results,” accessed April 24, 2024, results.elections.europa.eu/en/national-results/ireland/2024-2029/. On these parties’ and candidates’ lackluster electoral performance prior to 2024, see Fintan O’Toole, “A Far-Right Rabble Won’t Overthrow Ireland’s Democracy—but We Shouldn’t Be Complacent,” The Guardian, December 11, 2023, www.theguardian.com/global/commentisfree/2023/sep/25/far-right-ireland-parliament.

460     united . . . to form the National Alliance  McQuinn, “Political parties with far-right views on immigration form alliance to maximise election chances,” www.irishtimes.com/politics/2024/10/12/political-parties-with-far-right-views-on-immigration-form-alliance-to-maximise-election-chances/.

460     wanted to improve their chances . . .  McQuinn, “Political Parties with Far-Right Views on Immigration Form Alliance to Maximise Election Chances,” www.irishtimes.com/politics/2024/10/12/political-parties-with-far-right-views-on-immigration-form-alliance-to-maximise-election-chances/.

460     “shared principles” . . . “Ireland belongs to the Irish” . . . “house the Irish not the world” National Alliance website, October 2024, quoted in McQuinn, “Political Parties with Far-Right Views on Immigration Form Alliance to Maximise Election Chances,” www.irishtimes.com/politics/2024/10/12/political-parties-with-far-right-views-on-immigration-form-alliance-to-maximise-election-chances/.

460     None of its candidates . . .  Conor Gallagher, “Far-Right Candidates Fail to Break Through, Defying Global Trends,” Irish Times, December 1, 2024, www.irishtimes.com/politics/2024/12/01/far-right-candidates-fail-to-break-through-defying-global-trends/.

460     the alliance dissolved  The National Party, X, February 23, 2025, 5:53 a.m., x.com/NationalPartyIE/status/1893615278300209380, archived at archive.today, April 3, 2025 capture, archive.ph/XfvsU.

460     grew their vote share in the national election Ethan Rooney, “Ireland’s Far-Right Problem,” Tribune magazine, September 30, 2025, tribunemag.co.uk/2025/09/irelands-far-right-problem.

460     Two of their candidates . . . elected to local councils  These candidates belonged to the National Party and the Irish Freedom Party, respectively. As mentioned above, the National Party was part of the National Alliance. Shane Raymond, “Profiled: Meet Ireland’s New Far-Right Councillors,” The Journal, June 13, 2024, www.thejournal.ie/far-right-candidates-ireland-local-councils-6403594-Jun2024/. To learn more about Irish Freedom Party’s great replacement ideas, see Kirsten Bokenkamp, “Confronting Ireland’s Growing Far Right Ideology,” Irish Echo, March 16, 2023, www.irishecho.com/2023/3/confronting-ireland-s-growing-far-right-ideology.

460     “the first-ever members of registered far-right parties to hold office in Ireland” Raymond, “Profiled: Meet Ireland’s New Far-Right Councillors,” www.thejournal.ie/far-right-candidates-ireland-local-councils-6403594-Jun2024.

460–461 “. . . which he described as plantations, an Irish version of . . .”  Raymond, “Profiled: Ireland’s New Far-Right Councillors,” www.thejournal.ie/far-right-candidates-ireland-local-councils-6403594-Jun2024.

461      losing his previous seven elections to be MP  Matt Mathers, “The Seven Times Farage Tried and Failed to Become an MP,” The Independent, June 5, 2024, www.the-independent.com/news/uk/politics/nigel-farage-seven-times-mp-candidate-b2557054.html.

461      “Rishi CAN’T stop the boats. Starmer WON’T stop the boats . . . .” Nigel Farage, X, June 25, 2024, 6:37 a.m., x.com/Nigel_Farage/status/1805550798018928789, archived at archive.today, February 10, 2026 capture, archive.ph/wip/QADrl.

461      scolded the Conservative Party for blaming inflation on . . . On May 16, 2022, Farage tweeted, “Andrew Bailey [Conservative-appointed Governor of the Bank of England] is hopeless. Inflation was well set way before Ukraine.” Nigel Farage, Twitter, May 16, 2022, 12:19 p.m., x.com/Nigel_Farage/status/1526236014871728130, archived at archive.today, February 10, 2026 capture, archive.ph/wip/6eyBK. Two days later, Farage tweeted, “The Retail Price Index has hit 11%. The Bank of England and No 10 want to blame Ukraine but inflation was already here. We are being led by incompetents.” Nigel Farage, Twitter, May 18, 2022, 4:35 a.m., x.com/Nigel_Farage/status/1526844033934716928, archived at archive.today, February 10, 2026 capture, archive.ph/wip/iKuJ4.

461      boosted by Russian trolls and bots Marianna Spring, “Bot or Not: Are Fake Accounts Swaying Voters Towards Reform UK?” BBC News, June 14, 2024, www.bbc.com/news/articles/c1335nj316lo; Michael Workman and Kevin Nguyen, “UK Conservatives Say ABC Analysis That Points to Foreign Interference Operation ‘Highly Alarming,’” ABC (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) News, June 29, 2024, www.abc.net.au/news/2024-06-29/uk-election-pro-russian-facebook-pages-coordinating/104038246; Faye Brown, “‘Gravely Concerning’ Claims of Russian Interference in General Election to Spread Support for Farage’s Reform,” Sky News, June 30, 2024, news.sky.com/story/amp/gravely-concerning-claims-of-russian-interference-in-general-election-to-spread-support-for-farages-reform-13161235; and Peter Jukes, “From Russia With Likes: Nigel Farage Dominates Social Media During General Election—Boosted by Bots Stoking Racism,” Byline Times, July 3, 2023, bylinetimes.com/2024/07/03/nigel-farage-bots-general-election-2024.

461      elected him . . . for the first time on July 4, 2024 “Nigel Farage Wins Seat in UK Parliament,” Reuters, July 4, 2024, www.reuters.com/world/uk/nigel-farage-wins-seat-uk-parliament-2024-07-05/.

461      snatching 411 out of 650 seats  Richard Cracknell and Carl Baker, “General Election 2024: Results and Analysis,” House of Commons Library, September 24, 2024, researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk/documents/CBP-10009/CBP-10009.pdf, 9, 10, 11.

461      replaced . . . as prime minister  Jennifer McKiernan and Brian Wheeler, “Rishi Sunak Apologises After Historic Tory Defeat,” BBC News, July 5, 2024, www.bbc.com/news/articles/cd1xnzlzz99o.

461      lost 251 seats  Cracknell and Baker, “General Election 2024,” researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk/documents/CBP-10009/CBP-10009.pdf, 13.

461      only 5 seats  Cracknell and Baker, “General Election 2024,” researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk/documents/CBP-10009/CBP-10009.pdf, 9, 18.

461      putting . . . alongside a new great replacement financier Ben Quinn, “Nigel Farage Stirs Tensions in Reform UK as He Ousts Deputies,” The Guardian, July 11, 2024, www.theguardian.com/politics/article/2024/jul/11/nigel-farage-stirs-tensions-in-reform-uk-as-he-ousts-deputies.

461      the largest donation to Reform UK  Chris Mason and Sam Francis, “Muslim Millionaire Gives Major Donation to Reform UK,” BBC News, June 19, 2024, www.bbc.com/news/articles/cd11xxn833yo.

461      had arrived in the UK from Sri Lanka forty years earlier Mason and Francis, “Muslim Millionaire Gives Major Donation to Reform UK,” www.bbc.com/news/articles/cd11xxn833yo; and Zia Yusuf, “Nigel Farage Is No Islamophobe: He Loves Britons of All Races and Religions,” The Telegraph, June 27, 2024, www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2024/06/27/nigel-farage-is-no-islamaphobe-he-loves-britons-of-all-race/.

461      when immigration levels were low . . . “could assimilate comfortably”  Yusuf, “Nigel Farage Is No Islamophobe: He Loves Britons of All Races and Religions,” www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2024/06/27/nigel-farage-is-no-islamaphobe-he-loves-britons-of-all-race/. 

461      “we have lost control of our borders”  Yusuf, “Nigel Farage Is No Islamophobe: He Loves Britons of All Races and Religions,” www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2024/06/27/nigel-farage-is-no-islamaphobe-he-loves-britons-of-all-race/.

461      “Unlike most who assail Farage, I am a Muslim . . .”  Yusuf, “Nigel Farage Is No Islamophobe: He Loves Britons of All Races and Religions,” www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2024/06/27/nigel-farage-is-no-islamaphobe-he-loves-britons-of-all-race/. 

461      expressed his goal . . . in 2029  Eleni Courea, “Reform’s New Chair Zia Yusuf: A Man Intent on Making Nigel Farage PM,” The Guardian, August 5, 2024, www.theguardian.com/politics/article/2024/aug/05/reforms-new-chair-zia-yusuf-a-man-intent-on-making-nigel-farage-pm.

461      “build a mass national movement over . . .”  Nigel Farage quoted in “Nigel Farage Wins Seat in UK Parliament,” Reuters, July 4, 2024, www.reuters.com/world/uk/nigel-farage-wins-seat-uk-parliament-2024-07-05/.

461      naming their first Black woman party leader . . .  Mark Landler and Stephen Castle, “Kemi Badenoch Becomes First Black Woman to Lead Britain’s Conservative Party,” New York Times, November 2, 2024, www.nytimes.com/2024/11/02/world/europe/kemi-badenoch-uk-tory-leadership-election-2024.html.

461–462 the daughter of immigrants Jill Lawless, “Who Is Kemi Badenoch, the First Black Woman to Lead Britain’s Conservative Party?” Associated Press (AP) News, November 2, 2024, apnews.com/article/uk-conservative-leader-kemi-badenoch-profile-bd73343d5508fc7aa936471629f5730b; and Sunder Katwala, “From a Childhood in Nigeria to Tory Leader: The Remarkable Rise of Kemi Badenoch,” The Guardian, November 2, 2024, www.theguardian.com/politics/2024/nov/02/from-a-childhood-in-nigeria-to-tory-leader-the-remarkable-rise-of-kemi-badenoch.

461–462 “numbers matter but culture matters more”  Kemi Badenoch quoted in Landler and Castle, “Kemi Badenoch Becomes First Black Woman to Lead Britain’s Conservative Party,” www.nytimes.com/2024/11/02/world/europe/kemi-badenoch-uk-tory-leadership-election-2024.html; and “Badenoch Hits Back at Jenrick’s ‘Disrespectful’ Jibe,” BBC News, October 22, 2024, www.bbc.com/news/articles/creje1w5nn0o.

462     welcomed “culture warrior” as a label  “I Love the ‘Culture Warrior’ Label—Kemi Badenoch,” Vanguard, December 6, 2024, www.vanguardngr.com/2024/12/i-love-the-culture-warrior-label-kemi-badenoch.

462     “If we don’t defend our culture, who will?”  Kemi Badenoch quoted in “I Love the ‘Culture Warrior’ Label—Kemi Badenoch,” www.vanguardngr.com/2024/12/i-love-the-culture-warrior-label-kemi-badenoch.

462     secretly spent at least $300 million . . .  “Russia has covertly given at least $300 million to political parties, officials and politicians in more than two dozen countries since 2014.” Edward Wong, “Russia Secretly Gave $300 Million to Political Parties and Officials Worldwide, U.S. Says,” New York Times, September 13, 2022, www.nytimes.com/2022/09/13/us/politics/russia-election-interference.html.

462     loans to . . . National Rally Gabriel Gatehouse, “Marine Le Pen: Who’s Funding France’s Far Right?” BBC News, April 3, 2017, www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-39478066; Cynthia Kroet, “Marine Le Pen Asked to Repay €9 Million Bank Loan: Reports,” Politico, January 4, 2017, www.politico.eu/article/marine-le-pen-asked-to-repay-e9-million-bank-loan-reports-czech-russian/; and Paul Sonne, “A Russian Bank Gave Marine Le Pen’s Party a Loan: Then Weird Things Began Happening.” Washington Post, December 27, 2018, www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/a-russian-bank-gave-marine-le-pens-party-a-loan-then-weird-things-began-happening/2018/12/27/960c7906-d320-11e8-a275-81c671a50422_story.html.

462     “We don’t rely on American banks. . .”  James Dodson quoted a conversation with Eric Trump about the funding behind the National Golf Club Charlotte in Bill Littlefield, “A Day (and a Cheeseburger) With President Trump,” WBUR, May 11, 2017, www.wbur.org/onlyagame/2017/05/05/james-dodson-donald-trump-golf. The Trump Organization developed the National Golf Club Charlotte. Deon Roberts, “Trump Organization Finalizes $3M Purchase of The Point Lake and Golf Club,” Mecklenburg Times, April 5, 2012, mecktimes.com/news/2012/04/05/trump-finalizes-purchase-of-the-point/. Sources often mistakenly date this conversation in 2014, but WBUR, the original source for the quote, confirmed that it occurred in 2013. Benjamin Swasey and Martin Kessler, “Eric Trump Denies Telling a Sportswriter the Trumps Got Golf Course Funding from Russia,” WBUR, May 10, 2017, www.wbur.org/onlyagame/2017/05/08/eric-trump-russia-golf-course-funding. See also Ruth Ben-Ghiat, Strongmen: Mussolini to the Present (New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2021), 159. Find the book at a library at search.worldcat.org/title/1233267123.

462     two years before . . .  Trump announced his run on June 16, 2015. “Here’s Donald Trump’s Presidential Announcement Speech,” Time, June 16, 2015, time.com/3923128/donald-trump-announcement-speech/.

462     “genius” “Full Interview: President Trump with C&B from Mar-a-Lago,” The Clay Travis & Buck Sexton Show, February 22, 2022, www.clayandbuck.com/president-trump-with-cb-from-mar-a-lago, 02:26–2:50.

462     “We are in solidarity with Russia”  Jair Bolsonaro quoted in Terrence McCoy, “Brazil’s Bolsonaro Embraced the U.S. Under Trump: Now He’s in ‘Solidarity’ with Russia,” Washington Post, February 16, 2022, www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/02/16/bolsonaro-putin-brazil-russia-ukraine/.

462     “closest ally among European Union leaders” “Putin and Orbán Reaffirm Russian-Hungarian Ties Amid International Strains,” Reuters, October 17, 2023, www.reuters.com/world/europe/russias-putin-holds-talks-with-hungarys-orban-china-2023-10-17/.

462     the world leader he most admired  Press Association, “Nigel Farage: I Admire Vladimir Putin,” The Guardian, March 31, 2014, www.theguardian.com/politics/2014/mar/31/farage-i-admire-putin; and Political TV, “The Panorama Interviews with Nick Robinson: Nigel Farage, Reform UK | 21st June 2024 (Day 30),” June 23, 2024, youtu.be/-ZB97WuToMQ?si=kCDHWWtOzV3ZmvFC, 4:10–4:28.

462     “Russia is our friend . . .”  Great replacement soldiers quoted in Susan Svrluga, “‘We Will Keep Coming Back’: Richard Spencer Leads Another Torchlight March in Charlottesville,” Washington Post, October 9, 2017, www.washingtonpost.com/news/grade-point/wp/2017/10/07/richard-spencer-leads-another-torchlight-march-in-charlottesville/.

462     increased India’s imports . . . in response to . . .“Rather than cutting economic ties with the Kremlin, India has undermined Western sanctions by increasing its purchases of Russian oil, coal and fertilizer—giving Putin a vital financial lifeline.” Rhea Mogul, “India’s Words Are Anti-War, but New Delhi’s Actions Are Propping Up Putin’s Regime,” CNN, October 4, 2022, edition.cnn.com/2022/10/03/india/india-russia-war-putin-modi-intl-hnk/index.html.

463     “In Ukraine, pro-Russians hold elections . . .  Nayib Bukele, Twitter, May 11, 2014, 11:52 p.m., x.com/nayibbukele/status/465700978394529792, archived at archive.today, February 10, 2026 capture, archive.ph/wip/F8fRj.

463     visited Russia to observe rigged elections  Erika Solomon, “Far Right’s Ties to Russia Sow Rising Alarm in Germany,” New York Times, April 15, 2024, www.nytimes.com/2024/04/15/world/europe/germany-afd-russia.html.

463     opposed sending weapons . . . and placing sanctions . . .  Solomon, “Far Right’s Ties to Russia Sow Rising Alarm in Germany,” www.nytimes.com/2024/04/15/world/europe/germany-afd-russia.html.

463     "takes a country that was an empire . . .”  Éric Zemmour, 2018, quoted in Elisabeth Zerofsky, “France’s Far Right Turn,” New York Times, March 31, 2022, updated April 22, 2022, www.nytimes.com/2022/03/31/magazine/new-french-right.html.

463     “Ukraine does not exist” Éric Zemmour, Un quinquennat pour rien (Paris: Albin Michel, 2016), quoted in Zerofsky, “France’s Far Right Turn,” www.nytimes.com/2022/03/31/magazine/new-french-right.html. Find the library book at search.worldcat.org/title/958058274.

463     “an alliance between . . . against Islamists” Marine Le Pen quoted in Vivienne Walt, “Why France’s Marine Le Pen Is Doubling Down on Russia Support,” Time, January 9, 2017, time.com/4627780/russia-national-front-marine-le-pen-putin/.

463     support for . . . but opposed sending . . . or placing energy sanctions . . . Marc Bassets, “Marine Le Pen: ‘If Russia Wins the War, It Will Be Catastrophic . . . if Ukraine Wins, It Will Mean WWIII Has Been Unleashed,’” El País English, April 13, 2023, english.elpais.com/international/2023-04-13/marine-le-pen-if-russia-wins-the-war-it-will-be-catastrophic-if-ukraine-wins-it-will-mean-wwiii-has-been-unleashed.html.

463     fawned over Putin as a leader up until the invasion of Ukraine On Meloni, see James Crisp et al., “Why Europe Is listening to Meloni,” The Telegraph, June 8, 2024, www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2024/06/08/why-europe-is-listening-to-giorgia-meloni-italy-eu. During a 2018 interview with RT, a Russian state-controlled television station, Wilders said, “Vladimir Putin is a leader, whatever you think of him. I criticize a lot of his policies. But I applaud him as I applaud Mr. Trump for being leaders, who are standing there on behalf of the Russian and the American people . . . We lack that kind of leadership in Europe. “Wilders: I Criticize Putin’s Policies, but Applaud the Way He Stands for Russian People,” RT, March 3, 2018, www.rt.com/news/420348-geert-wilders-exclusive-interview/. During a 2023 parliamentary debate that occurred in the context of forming a cabinet, Wilders told lawmakers who called out his closeness with Putin and Russia, “I completely distance myself from everything Putin has done.” Geert Wilders quoted in “Wilders Criticized for Past Remarks and Russia Stance in First Parliamentary Debate,” NL Times, December 13, 2023, nltimes.nl/2023/12/13/wilders-criticized-past-remarks-russia-stance-first-parliamentary-debate. Wilders opposes allowing Ukraine to join NATO but has called the invasion “illegal and barbaric.” Wilders, September 30, 2022, 11:16 a.m.,x.com/geertwilderspvv/status/1575867269770448896, archived at archive.today, February 10, 2026 capture, archive.ph/wip/GzsJi; and Wilders quoted in “Dutch Election Winner Wilders Willing to Consider More Ukraine Aid,” Reuters, February 24, 2024, www.reuters.com/world/europe/dutch-election-winner-wilders-willing-consider-more-ukraine-aid-2024-02-24/.