Samaras Considers New Trump-Inspired Party, Shaking Greek Right

Former Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras is reportedly considering launching a new political party inspired by the ideology of President Donald Trump, a move that could significantly alter Greece’s political landscape and potentially fracture the conservative right.

Speculation,

fueled by a recent article by Mr. Samaras in the Ta Nea newspaper and a series of media appearances, suggests his ambition to establish a platform embracing hardline conservative positions. This platform would challenge the more centrist direction of the ruling New Democracy party, which Mr. Samaras once led.

Sources close to him indicate that Mr. Samaras aims to channel the energy of Trump-style nationalism and populism into a Greek context.

The idea has resonated among disaffected conservatives who feel marginalized by Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis’s moderate policies.
Discussions within right-wing circles suggest that Mr. Samaras could unify voters from New Democracy, Greek Solution, and Voice of Reason, tapping into nationalist sentiment and dissatisfaction with the government’s handling of foreign policy and national issues.

Mr. Samaras’s initiative comes amidst broader attempts by European politicians to align themselves with Mr. Trump’s political resurgence.

Notably, several Greek political figures have highlighted personal ties with Kimberly Guilfoyle, the new U.S. ambassador to Greece and a prominent conservative media figure and Trump ally.

This appears to be a calculated effort to claim legitimacy within the right-wing electorate.

Among the loudest critics of Mr. Samaras’s ambitions is former defense minister and Independent Greeks party founder Panos Kammenos.

Mr. Kammenos openly mocked the idea that Mr. Samaras could lead a Trump-inspired movement.

In a public social media post, Mr. Kammenos accused him of “delivering the country to Pasok and the Brussels directorate” and reignited old party grievances, referencing Mr. Samaras’s role in the downfall of Constantine Mitsotakis’s government in 1993.

Mr. Kammenos himself has sought to project an image of close ties to Mr. Trump’s inner circle, posting photos from his January 2025 trip to Washington for Mr. Trump’s inauguration.

The images featured Mr. Kammenos and his wife, Elena Tzouli, posing with Ms. Guilfoyle and members of the Greek-American community, including businessman John Catsimatidis and Republican lawmakers Gus Bilirakis and Nicole Malliotakis.

While no concrete political alliance has been announced, the optics suggest a deliberate effort to reinsert himself into the political narrative.

Behind the scenes of this ideological jostling lies a broader transatlantic trend. Former Trump strategist Steve Bannon has long attempted to foster populist-nationalist movements across Europe.

His now-dormant Brussels-based initiative, The Movement, aimed to unite far-right leaders under a shared anti-establishment agenda, offering polling, strategy, and messaging support.

Although its direct impact has been limited, its ideological influence continues to shape European politics, including in Greece.

Mr. Bannon collaborated with prominent European right-wing figures such as Nigel Farage in the UK, Marine Le Pen in France, and Viktor Orbán in Hungary, hoping to build a bloc that could challenge the European Union’s political mainstream.

His efforts often positioned billionaire philanthropist George Soros’s Open Society Foundations as a primary adversary, framing the EU as a battleground between populist nationalism and progressive liberalism.

Within this broader context, Mr. Samaras’s potential move is seen as part of a possible Greek expression of that ideological battle. Whether he ultimately launches a new party remains uncertain.

However, the renewed interest in Trumpism’s appeal among segments of the Greek right, coupled with the symbolic power of U.S. diplomatic ties, suggests a volatile new chapter may be unfolding in Greek politics, where nationalist rhetoric, foreign affiliations, and internal party rivalries converge.

By Antonis Telopoulos

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