‘The Daily Show’ Examines The Dutch Rejecting The Far-Right And Finds The Touch Of Trump Is To Blame

Geert Wilders went from a populist, far-right success story in the Netherlands, seemingly poised to win the vote for Prime Minister, to loser during Wednesday’s vote. While his populist message and similar pushes around the globe have had their effect, something pushed the Dutch away from Wilders in the election and The Daily Show seems to know what that is.

While it is easy to blame Donald Trump for a lot of stuff, some of those complaints are likely on the same level as every “Thanks, Obama” meme that has popped ip over the years. But he may have actually earned some of the blame for this one thanks to his actions and governing style, forcing the Netherlands to choose “stability” instead of a crazy-haired firebrand that called Islam a “retarded culture.” Much like Trump, that kind of talk seemed to motivate people during the campaign and put Wilders on the fast track for political success. Then the world got to see it in action in America and Britain, apparently forcing a slight change in direction for folks. And according to The New York Times, the vote saw record turnout:

Election turnout was high, with polling places seeing a steady stream of voters from early morning until the polls closed at 9 p.m. Of the 12.9 million Dutch citizens eligible to cast ballots, more than 80 percent voted.

Some polling places ran out of ballots and called for additional ones to be delivered. There were so many candidates listed that the ballots were as voluminous as bath towels and had to be folded many times over to fit into the ballot box.

As The Daily Show points out, this doesn’t mean nationalism and populism are dead in the nation. Trevor Noah said the choice of message wasn’t the issue, it was the choice of role model — and likely barber considering the Alien references being tossed around. As Noah says, “Hypothetical Trump seems like a lot of fun,” but real Trump is a different story.

(Via The Daily Show)

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