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.