By Sigurdur Arni Thordarson – June 18, 2025

I have made a decision that feels both personal and political: I will not support American businesses in the coming years. I will avoid traveling to the United States, and I have largely stopped purchasing American-made products or using U.S.-based services. Most importantly, I will not remain silent in the face of abuses by Donald Trump, his allies, or anyone who undermines the values I once admired in the American republic. This is not a gesture of hate. It is an expression of sorrow — and resolve.

I was educated in the United States and hold deep respect for its history, its ideals, and its people. I have friends across the country and cherish the hospitality and generosity I encountered there. But it is precisely because I care that I now feel compelled to speak up. I worry that the America I came to know is slipping away — not because of foreign enemies, but because of erosion from within.

The political and cultural polarization in the U.S. has become not only alarming but destabilizing. I fear for the health of American democracy and for the institutions meant to protect it. Reform and accountability are long overdue — but what we are witnessing now is something darker: the normalization of lies, the glorification of power, and the abandonment of the rule of law. These are not just internal matters. The United States, whether it likes it or not, remains a global leader. Under Donald Trump’s leadership, many of us in Europe have been forced to reckon with the consequences of that fact.

Undermining NATO

Trump has repeatedly cast doubt on America’s commitment to NATO, weakening trust among allies and destabilizing the security architecture that has kept Europe at peace since the Second World War. When the U.S. sends signals of unreliability, adversaries notice — and exploit it.

Trade Hostility and Economic Bullying

Rather than strengthening partnerships, the Trump administration embraced trade wars and tariff threats. Longstanding alliances were treated as liabilities rather than assets. Diplomacy gave way to bravado. Trust gave way to suspicion.

A Retreat from Multilateralism

“America First” became, in practice, America alone. The Trump years were marked by a disdain for international cooperation — precisely when global challenges like climate change, migration, and inequality demanded collective action.

Authoritarian Echoes

To many Europeans, Trump’s language and tactics are hauntingly familiar. We have read this chapter in history before — in the 1930s. We know where it can lead. His contempt for checks and balances, his attacks on the press, and his demonization of political opponents should alarm anyone who values democracy.

Environmental Abandonment

The withdrawal from the Paris Agreement and the dismantling of environmental protections sent a clear message: short-term profit over planetary survival. For humanity facing wildfires, floods, and climate-linked migration, this was reckless.

Human Rights Violations

The Trump administration’s treatment of migrants and refugees violated basic principles of human dignity. Separating children from parents, criminalizing asylum, and vilifying outsiders were not only cruel — they ran counter to the values the U.S. once championed.

Aligning with Autocrats

Whether cozying up to Vladimir Putin or praising other strongmen, Trump seemed more comfortable with autocracy than democracy. His behavior towards the Russian invasion to Ukraine not only raised ethical questions — it imperiled European security.

Collapse of Trust

Many Europeans once viewed the United States as a trustworthy friend. That trust has frayed. Today, we see a nation at war with itself — and a leader whose arrogance and erratic behavior cast a long shadow over transatlantic relations.

Resistance and Hope

Across Europe, Trump’s politics have been met with protests and resistance. The approaches and slogans may vary, but the message is consistent: we will not normalize tyranny. We stand with those Americans fighting for decency, justice, and truth.

To be clear: this is not an attack on the American people. It is an appeal to those who believe in the promise of the United States. Trump’s rise has revealed not only American vulnerabilities but our own. European democracies are not immune to the same forces of anger, apathy, and extremism. But exposure can be the first step toward healing. That is why I speak out. I do so as a friend — and as a global citizen who believes silence is complicity.

The photograph above is from July 4, 2017. It shows my sons wearing red-white-and-blue hats, gifts from the U.S. Ambassador to Iceland. I still hope that the ideals represented by those colors — freedom, equality, courage — can be reclaimed and renewed. But for that to happen, more of us must speak.