Too Late for an Educational Campaign?

Leaflets could be an effective way to spread this message. With some visual support, even a MAGA supporter might begin to understand that eroding democracy and straying from the core values the United States is known for draws troubling parallels to countries like China and Russia.

Consider the similarities:

• A nuclear-armed nation ✅

• An authoritarian regime ✅

• Enormous in size ✅

• Large population ✅

• Isolation over openness ✅

• Disregard for international laws, agreements, and resolutions ✅

The only major difference one might point to is gun laws, possibly arguing that Shanghai or Moscow is safer than Miami due to stricter gun control. But that might be a stretch. It’s likely where the MAGA supporter would tune out—scoffing and dismissing it as “fake news from the biased media,” or, as Kim Jong-un would put it, “hostile propaganda from our sworn enemy.”

Once the leaflet is in their hands, ask if they have a minute. Tell them that if a country’s greatness were determined solely by the beliefs and perspectives of its own citizens, rather than how others perceive it, North Korea might be considered the epitome of greatness. No country is as certain of its greatness as they are, but anyone looking from the outside can see that this certainty is misplaced.

Then, explain that from a European perspective, the main thing that has set the U.S. apart from nuclear superpowers like China and Russia is its history of openness, support for democratic nations, commitment to free trade, advocacy for human rights, and relatively reliable leadership.

Ask them: Do you want to build trust or sow uncertainty? Promote transparency or foster isolation? Spread kindness or fuel enmity? Seek stability or stir chaos? Strive for true greatness, or settle for being just another authoritarian regime with nuclear weapons and vast geographical expanse?