European conservatives are actively working to replicate Donald Trump’s political resurgence on their continent, drawing direct inspiration from the success of the Make America Great Again (MAGA) movement in the United States. Their goal: to counter what right-wing parties describe as the accelerating demise of Europe.
In that spirit, just one week after Trump’s inauguration, the second edition of the Make Europe Great Again (MEGA) Conference was hosted at the European Parliament on Jan. 28 and 29. From mass immigration to censorship and US-EU relations under the new Trump administration, conservative politicians, academics, and media figures from both sides of the Atlantic were brought together to address the most pressing issues facing the continent.
Initiated by the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) group, a prominent center-right political faction in the European Parliament, the summit featured key American participants such as physician and scientist Dr. Robert Malone; political commentator Ben Bergquam of Real America’s Voice; and Kimberly Fletcher, founder of Moms for America. Kari Lake, Donald Trump’s pick to lead Voice of America, was initially scheduled to appear.
On the European side, notable attendees included former Polish Prime Minister and current ECR Party president Mateusz Morawiecki, as well as Marion Maréchal and George Simion, both vice-presidents of the ECR Party. The event also drew participants from beyond the ECR’s ranks, including Christine Anderson, a member of the European Parliament (MEP) from Alternative for Germany (AfD)—the anti-immigration party publicly supported by Elon Musk ahead of Germany’s federal elections in late February.
The driving force behind the conference, Romanian politician George Simion, explicitly framed the gathering as a means to translate MAGA’s political blueprint to Europe.
“The victory of MAGA is an example for us here in Europe,” Simion declared. “We should unite under freedom—freedom of speech, freedom of elections, and the freedom to decide our own fate.”
ECR Party Vice-President Marion Maréchal of France cast the MEGA conference as a defining moment for European conservatism, calling it “the great event of the European awakening” before delivering a stark warning on mass non-European immigration: “At the end of this road, it is not just impoverishment and geopolitical downgrading that await us, but quite simply extinction,” she stated.
Her concerns were echoed by Nicolas Bay, another French Vice-President of the ECR group, who described MEGA as an effort to adapt Trump’s conservative message to a European context increasingly seen as dire.
“This summit is a way to align ourselves with Donald Trump’s movement in some way,” Bay told The Epoch Times. “His victory represents the triumph of values we share: defending fundamental freedoms, protecting identity, and putting an end to wokism.”
Bay acknowledged that a Trump presidency does not mean automatic political victories for European conservatives. “The Americans will defend their own interests first,” he said. Still, he underscored the cultural ties between the United States and Europe and the necessity of a stronger transatlantic conservative alliance. “There are bridges to be built across the Atlantic to get rid of progressivism.”
For American figures like Dr. Robert Malone, MEGA was more than an opportunity to observe—it was a platform to support the European right.
“I’m deeply committed to international health and supporting center-right populist movements, not just in the United States but also in Europe,” Malone stated. He viewed the conference as a catalyst for further collaboration between American and European conservative movements.
“I hope this will foster international cooperation between populist movements,” he explained. “We need to work together, exchange ideas, and develop common themes while tailoring strategies to each nation’s needs.”
German MEP Christine Anderson, similarly stressed the need for transatlantic unity against what she described as the forces of globalism.
“We must recognize the necessity of working together internationally to counter the globalitarian misanthropists. International communism is pretty much their agenda,” Anderson told The Epoch Times. “They are operating globally—so must we.”
Former Dutch MEP Rob Roos echoed this warning, arguing that a UN-backed agenda threatens national sovereignty across Europe. “We have to unite and fight against the globalist agenda, which is a UN-supported socialist initiative aimed at dismantling nation-states,” he told The Epoch Times.
However, he also pointed to an uphill battle ahead. Recalling a private dinner with Donald Trump Jr., he shared the blunt assessment he had received. “Donald Trump Jr. literally said to me, ‘We gave up hope for Western Europe, but we believe in Eastern Europe.’ So it’s up to us in Western Europe to prove that we are still capable of getting rid of leftist policies.”
Beyond rhetoric, the MEGA event reflected a growing drive among many European conservatives to align more closely with their American counterparts in an effort to replicate the success of the MAGA movement on European soil, but also develop transatlantic collaborations on common issues spanning both continents.
French MEP Virginie Joron, a member of Marine Le Pen’s National Rally, has shown interest in fostering collaborations around issues pertaining to restricted freedoms. Joron, who co-signed a letter inviting Elon Musk to the European Parliament and supports another initiative to nominate him for the Nobel Peace Prize, emphasized the shared ideological foundation between Trump’s America and European patriots.
“We fight for the preservation of our roots, our identity, our culture,” Joron told The Epoch Times. “We don’t want cancel culture, we don’t want wokeism. The stakes today are our freedom of speech, our freedom of thought, and our freedom of opinion.”
However, she also acknowledged the practical realities of dealing with the United States under Trump. “We know that Americans will defend their own interests first. But we should also cooperate where our ideas align.”
As European conservatives deepen their ties with their American counterparts, the MEGA conference appears to be only the beginning. George Simion confirmed that plans are already in motion for further summits, with 2025 poised to be a crucial year for the movement’s expansion.
“We intend to organize a series of conferences, debates, and rallies throughout 2025,” Simion announced. “From MAGA, the movement of President Trump, to MEGA—Make Europe Great Again.”
