We’ll be right over here: Europe’s populists sour on Trump

Summary of We’ll be right over here: Europe’s populists sour on Trump

by The Economist

19m•January 28, 2026
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Overview of The Intelligence — "We’ll be right over here: Europe’s populists sour on Trump"

This episode of The Intelligence from The Economist (hosts Rosie Blore and Jason Palmer) covers three short reports: (1) how European populist leaders are reacting to Donald Trump’s interventions (notably his comments about Greenland) and the strain in MAGA-populist ties; (2) why Western dating apps largely failed in India and how homegrown matchmaking startups are tailoring solutions to local culture; and (3) new research showing rainforest animals congregate at mineral/salt licks — and the surprising predator–prey interactions that follow.

Europe’s populists and Trump: key points

  • Core theme: Populist-right parties in Europe have long cultivated ties with the MAGA movement, but recent U.S. interventions (e.g., talk of Greenland) have exposed tensions about sovereignty, nationalism and political optics.
  • Guests and sources: Sophie Pedder (The Economist’s Paris bureau chief) explains the French dynamic around Rassemblement National (RN) leader Jordan Bardella and Marine Le Pen, and broader continental reactions.
  • Divisions within the populist right:
    • Some leaders value U.S. MAGA support and hesitate to openly criticize the U.S.
    • Others (including a wing in Germany’s AfD) resent perceived U.S. overreach and fear renewed unilateralism.
  • Examples cited:
    • French RN tries to balance its Trump-inspired rhetoric with a defense of national sovereignty when U.S. actions risk appearing imperial.
    • Germany’s Alice Weidel and others voiced displeasure at perceived interference.
    • Nigel Farage and other populist figures were prominent at Trump’s inauguration; ties are uneven across countries.
    • Poland and some Central/Eastern European nationalists have been publicly quiet to preserve transatlantic relations.
    • The podcast cites the Canadian example where association with U.S. threats allegedly hurt populist candidate Pierre Poilievre — illustrating electoral risk.
  • Political calculus: As populist parties seek to broaden their appeal beyond hard-core bases, overt alignment with brazen U.S. interventions could become a political liability ahead of key elections.

India’s dating market: why local apps are winning

  • Thesis: Western apps (Tinder, Bumble, Hinge) tried to transplant Western dating norms to India and largely failed; Indian startups are instead tailoring products to local cultural realities.
  • Cultural friction:
    • India’s dating culture includes stronger taboos around casual sex, divorce and sexual minorities; social norms make direct adoption of Western hookup-oriented models problematic.
    • Gender imbalance and harassment on apps have deterred many women; internal figures cited extreme skew on some platforms.
    • Digital flirting and “swiping culture” feel unnatural to many users who didn’t grow up with that behavior.
  • What local apps do differently:
    • Focus on curation and demographic matching (caste/class/education/income brackets) rather than mass swiping.
    • Features: multilingual support, profanity filters, AI tools (e.g., poem generation), stricter verification and profiling to attract urban professionals.
    • Examples mentioned: Flow (founder Siddharth Mangaram), We Met (income/degree questionnaires), Flutter (language + filters).
  • Business challenge:
    • Despite having the largest number of matchmaking startups globally, Indian dating firms have raised far less capital (~$17m over a decade cited), reflecting investor skepticism about monetization and the political economy of dating in India.
    • Cultural willingness to pay, and product-market fit across highly varied local markets, are central constraints.
  • Practical takeaway: Successful Indian apps focus on segmentation (not “one India”), cultural fit, safety/curation, and features that align with local dating norms.

Rainforest salt licks: where animals really go — highlights

  • Research question: In jungles where water is abundant, what ecological “oases” draw animals together?
  • Main finding: Mineral-rich sites (salt licks / kaolinite deposits) act like watering holes in savannas — animals congregate there for essential minerals (notably salt) and for detoxifying clay minerals (kaolinite).
  • Method: Camera traps at mineral outcrops recorded multi-species visits and predator–prey interactions.
  • Notable observations from footage:
    • Ocelots ambushing birds and attacking primates at salt sites.
    • Tapirs visiting mineral patches, sometimes attracting vampire bats.
    • Tree boas catching fruit bats near the ground.
    • A dramatic skirmish where a howler monkey repelled an ocelot — surprising defensive behavior.
  • Biological importance: Salt is critical for physiological functions; kaolinite helps herbivores neutralize plant toxins. These mineral spots thus concentrate both herbivores and predators, shaping ecological interactions.
  • Broader implication: Mineral licks are biodiversity hotspots with complex behavioral and ecological dynamics — a fruitful area for further study.

Main takeaways

  • European populists are increasingly strained by close ties to Trump/MAGA: short-term political gains from American support may be outweighed by sovereignity concerns and electoral risks if U.S. actions are seen as overreaching.
  • In India, dating success depends on cultural adaptation: curated, localized matchmaking beats one-size-fits-all Western swipe models; funding and monetization remain key hurdles.
  • In tropical forests, minerals — not just water — create ecological oases: salt and clay deposits concentrate wildlife and drive intense interspecies interactions and predation opportunities.

Notable quotes and soundbites

  • Sophie Pedder (paraphrase): “The more brazen Trump’s threats become, the greater a political liability he could be for European populists.”
  • On Indian dating: “India is not one market” — successful apps niche down by demographics and culture.
  • On wildlife footage: “It’s the Discovery Channel, but saltier.” (a light-hearted summary of the dramatic camera-trap videos)

Suggested follow-ups for listeners

  • Politics: Watch how Rassemblement National and other populist parties position themselves ahead of upcoming elections — especially when confronted with foreign interventions framed as economic or territorial interest.
  • Tech/Business: Entrepreneurs and investors in dating tech for emerging markets should prioritize granular market segmentation, safety/verification, and culturally aligned features over importing Western UX patterns.
  • Science/Nature: Conservationists and ecologists should consider mineral licks as key sites for monitoring biodiversity and predator–prey dynamics; camera-trap studies can reveal unexpected behaviors.

Credits: Hosts Rosie Blore and Jason Palmer; segments featuring Sophie Pedder (Paris bureau), Kira Huyu (Asia correspondent), and Matt Kaplan (science correspondent).