The Open Society Foundation (OSF), led by Alex Soros, son of billionaire George Soros, is intensifying its efforts to prevent former President Donald Trump from securing victory in the 2024 election, assuming he becomes the Republican Party’s nominee. Alex Soros articulated this objective in a Politico article, emphasizing the importance of defeating Trump for the OSF’s work in Europe. Their focus has been on undermining traditional democratic values in Europe, much like George Soros has done in the United States for decades.
Alex Soros stated, “As someone who spends up to half their time working on the Continent and thinks former United States President Donald Trump – or at least someone with his isolationist and anti-European policies – will be the Republican nominee, I believe a MAGA-style Republican victory in next year’s US presidential election could, in the end, be worse for the EU than for the US. Such an outcome will imperil European unity and undermine the progress achieved on many fronts in response to the war in Ukraine”. He pledged financial support for efforts opposing Trump, adapting the Open Society Foundations to respond to emerging scenarios on both sides of the Atlantic.
Alex Soros also committed to continuing support for the foundation in Ukraine, which played a crucial role in events like the Orange Revolution in 2004 and the Maidan uprising in 2014. He emphasized their assistance, with over US$250 million since 2014, in aiding civil society groups in Ukraine amid Russia’s aggression.
In the United States, the OSF has funded campaigns of far-left district attorneys in major Democratic-run cities, candidates who de-emphasize traditional law enforcement and promote measures like “bail reform” that critics argue have led to increased crime rates.
Donald Trump, in a campaign video released in mid-August, targeted George Soros, asserting that the United States was being harmed by “Marxist” and “communist” district attorneys. He vowed to rectify the situation if elected president in 2024, pledging to appoint US attorneys who would oppose the Soros-backed district attorneys and launch civil rights investigations into Marxist district attorneys’ selective enforcement practices.
Trump declared, “There is no more dire threat to the American way of life than the corruption and weaponization of our justice system. And it’s happening all around us. As president, it will be my personal mission to restore the scales of justice in America”. He promised fairness and equality under the law and investigations into the use of police state tactics by federal authorities against conservatives and Christians.
The prospect of a second term for Donald Trump is causing anxiety among European trade officials. Trump has been critical of trade deficits and has threatened to impose a 10 percent import tariff if he wins the 2024 election.
Before that, Trump’s first-term trade policies could resurface, potentially imposing billions of dollars in duties on European exports in just eight weeks. In 2018, Trump imposed tariffs on EU steel and aluminum, which the Biden administration suspended to facilitate negotiations.
However, these tariffs will be reinstated if no agreement is reached by October 31, risking another tariff war and affecting goods such as whisky.
The fear of a Trump victory in 2024 is adding pressure to secure a deal even if it means making concessions.
EU officials and business leaders are concerned about the prospect of a Trump return. The EU and the US are also negotiating a critical minerals agreement, crucial for EU mining and chemical firms to sell their products to US battery manufacturers without the risk of reduced electric vehicle tax credits. These negotiations will be critical in the coming months.
Trump is currently leading the race for the Republican nomination ahead of the November 2024 presidential election, despite facing multiple felony charges related to his actions following the 2020 election. His threat to impose a 10 percent tariff on all imports if re-elected has raised concerns about a potential trade war and increased costs for US consumers and businesses.
