It is sunny in Portugal. The weather is mild, and the people are friendly. With a few exceptions, the Portuguese are like Americans. They have treated us with remarkable kindness during our stay.
Before my arrival last week, we did not know what to expect. Our last trip abroad was three years ago. During those travels, several locals expressed horror and disappointment that America had elected someone like Trump as president. They asked us if America had gone crazy and expressed fear that without American leadership in the world, their own freedom was in jeopardy.
With Trump’s first term over but with the prospect of another on the horizon, what would we hear? Would the Portuguese be more outspoken than the Australians, Czechs, French, and others we discussed politics with in the past? We were about to find out.
Before our departure, we read that Americans now buy about 10 percent of available real estate in Lisbon. We wondered, do the Portuguese resent this? Signs at many shops, and the menus of most restaurants in Lisbon offer an English translation.
It turns out many Portuguese welcome the Americans, both as tourists and immigrants. Nobody we spoke with talked about building a wall to keep us out or murmured anything about Americans initiating a crime wave.
Our trip to Portugal is strictly for tourism. Despite our deep distaste for Donald Trump and fears he could return to power, we love America too much to abandon her. We are proud of America and much of its history. We also would miss the Eastern Shore. In our humble opinion, Portugal has nothing that matches the Eastern Shore’s beauty and wonder.
On the second day of our trip, we visited a row of street vendors offering various treasures to tourists, including beautiful tiles, leather purses, and various trinkets. Without exception the vendors seemed happy. They smiled at us even if we evidenced little interest in their wares.
One booth offered an attractive array of painted tiles. The vendor indicated the tiles were made at his family business and were hand-painted. We selected four and paid in cash. Before we left, the vendor engaged us in conversation, asking how we liked Portugal, where else we were visiting and where we were from. We answered the last question, “America.”
The vendor broke into a mischievous smile and remarked, “I’m sorry.”
In past years we might have been offended, even if the person who stated what might be considered an insult was smiling. This time we both knew that the vendor was prompted by the presumptive Republican nominee for president. The look in the vendor’s eyes said it all. He felt sorry for us and was simultaneously amused that the country that saved Europe from Hitler is considering bringing Donald Trump back to the White House.
Other Portuguese we interacted with on our travels seem careful not to mention Trump. Several people we met in hotels and restaurants, as well as taxi drivers, have volunteered that tourism is energizing the Portuguese economy. Not one has complained about louts or “ugly Americans,” even though we ran into a few of the latter ourselves.
As I reflected on our reception in Portugal, I realized that the damage done by Trump during his first term was still being felt. America is no longer held in awe (perhaps a good thing when you think about it). But the concept of America as a world-class lesson that democracy can work to preserve freedom is gone. American politics are now viewed as no better than the circus of Italian politics or the buffoonery of any number of other countries. It no longer seems strange that many Europeans now see China as more stable than the U.S.
We did not hear anyone say, “The American era is over,” but I wonder what attitudes will look like if Trump is returned to power for four more years. The European press is following the Biden-Trump contest closely. Some publications assume that Biden is too old to be re-elected and that Trump is too clever and ruthless to lose. Europeans know what “January 6” means and wonder if it will be repeated.
When the tile vendor told us he was sorry we were Americans, we did not get angry or correct him. We laughed. Immediately thinking that the incident might be worthy of a piece in The Spy, I laughed and told him his comment was the funniest thing I had heard all day.
My response was not, as some may think, cowardly. I am not ready to engage in fisticuffs or, as Trump would say, “rough somebody up” to respond to someone thinking Trump is turning America into a joke.
I do not know when or if I will return to Portugal, but I would be curious to see how the Portuguese will respond if Biden is re-elected. I like to think the joking might end, just like Trump’s political career.
J.E. Dean is a retired attorney and public affairs consultant. He writes on politics, government, and, too infrequently, other subjects.
Bil Barron says
My daughter, a fluent Spanish speaker who gets along in Portugese, visited Portugal a year ago. As is her style, she threw herself into every aspect of the food, music, lifestyle, the people and culture. For a couple of weeks, she was totally focused and in the moment, absorbing new experiences like a child. She returned, raving about everything she had experienced and insisting that we should do the same…..soon. We were happy for her.
How sad that recollections of your visit to this tourist treasure seem frozen in the context of US politics. Did any day pass when you put your visceral hatred for Trump aside and just enjoyed your trip? I’m no fan of the Donald, but he is not the anti-Christ and certainly shouldn’t have spoiled such a nice opportunity for a getaway.
Deirdre LaMotte says
Trump is not in a vacuum. He has negatively affected
our world. I travel frequently and think people’s
dismay is encouraging. I find it difficult to understand
how the threat to democracy can be set aside for a vacation.
Perhaps that is our nation’s problem.
John Dean says
Thank you for reading the piece.
Please know that I write on politics for The Spy. I chose to share my experience with the street vendor because the encounter is an example of how Trump damages American prestige abroad.
You also (I hope) will be happy to learn that the encounter with the vendor did not ruin my trip. I had a great time and enjoyed Portugal. Nobody else I encountered on the trip brought up Trump.
I share your view that Trump is not the anti-Christ. He isn’t, but that doesn’t mean that he is not a threat to democracy and unfit to be president.
Patty Heaps says
If, after four years of a dollar store presidency, you still assume it’s all about Trump, your TDS truly has no boundaries. Did he actually cite Trump or was it, as you said, you just “knew”? Could it be he’s seen what the rest of us have, keeping in mind that foreign news services are under no obligation to keep him boosted like the lapdog media in this country.
The Hur report that labeled the Commander-in-Chief a “sympathetic, well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory” which was enough to allow him to skate on criminal charges. It’s bad enough that an old man with obvious mental deficiencies and cognitive decline physically imperils the safety of his people; It’s quite another when the citizens KNOW he’s not in charge, and that other people are CLEARLY covering for him— and we have no clue who they are, or what they are doing, and that we never voted for them to execute the duties of the office.
The sham of DEI and how it’s wreaking havoc on so many institutions – the more boxes you can check, the higher up you go.
A president who has spent 40% of his term on vacation and with the absence of any Visitor Logs, it makes one wonder.
The invasion at our border and the narrative that it’s the Republicans fault – laughable. And comparing Americans living in Portugal to the what is literally pouring into our country is such a false equivalence that I’m surprised you went there, knowing that’s just misguided. Portugal is about the size of Indiana.
I just came back from two weeks in Europe and had someone offered me condolences on being an American after four years of this dollar store palace intrigue, Trump would be the last one to come to mind.
Deirdre LaMotte says
I don’t vote for convicted felons who also commit rape.
It’s not complicated.
Patty Heaps says
Who wants to tell her that Uncle Joe was very credibly accused of sexual misconduct but that accusation went into the memory hole with Hunter’s laptop and Ashley’s diary. Again, the absence of an honest media…. It may not be complicated, but it’s pretty short-sighted. Have you seen his “performance” at D-Day ceremonies? Of course, as soon as he landed he called a lid – now there’s a strong leader of the free world.