The would-be mini Trumps: Geert Wilders, Marine Le Pen, Frauke Petry, Jussi Halla-aho and other autocrats

We have commented that President Donald Trump’s erratic and autocratic style may be a curse on the US but a blessing for Europe since his style may scare away potential voters who don’t want far-right politicians like Geert Wilders, Marine Le Pen, Frauke Petry, Jussi Halla-aho and others.

The latest news coming out of the White House is a direct attack against the First Amendment by barring the Guardian, New York Times, Politico, CNN and others from a press briefing.

Read the full story in the Guardian here.

Ever wonder why Trump likes Vladimir Putin? See what the Russian autocrat has done and what Trump is doing to shut press freedom.

Any sensible person can understand that far-right populism like the kind we are seeing in the United States and which has impacted Europe through Brexit spells trouble.

Since such politicians rarely have credible solutions to complex problems, they have to always create or drum up a new enemy and scapegoat to keep their voters entertained and loyal.

The fact that voters can vote for such people in such great numbers shows how we’ve failed to address social inequality and the rule of law. Our checks and balances have failed, utterly.

The first test on the far-right populist election road is Holland on March 15.

Let’s see if Trump has been a positive or frightening force for Dutch voters.