The Trump Effect In Full Effect -- Digby [View all]
https://digbysblog.net/2025/05/20/the-trump-effect-in-full-effect/

The world is watching us and doesn’t like what it sees:
Following the shocking annulment of Romania’s presidential election last year amid allegations of Russian interference, the eastern European nation and NATO ally undertook a do-over on Sunday. The result was another upset, but this time, it will count.
As Romanians went to the polls this weekend, they faced the same ideological choice as before: a nationalist, conservative demagogue who’s a fierce critic of the European Union or a pro-West reformer who supports Ukraine. This time, instead of disqualified far-right candidate Cǎlin Georgescu being on the ballot, they were choosing between Georgescu ally George Simion, a nationalist member of parliament, and Nicușor Dan, the independent mayor of Bucharest.
Simion led by double digits after the first round of voting on May 4, but as the results came in for Sunday night’s runoff, Dan was the clear winner, finishing with 54 percent of the vote.
It can’t be a coincidence.