Baron’s appearance at El Diario Vasco should serve as an example to the rest of America

Those who keep up with the news coming out of the United States know about the leaked Signal group chat between top government officials, including Vice President J.D. Vance, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, in the latest in a series of scandals coming out of the Trump White House. While the most pressing issue to come of this revelation has been a torrent of questions about the security of top secret information pertaining to war plans, there is another theme present that should grab the public’s attention.

One of the traits that has defined the first several months of the Trump administration has been a fierce protectionism and alienation of allies, most of all with Europe. Steep tariffs and incendiary language has sent a clear message: America can do just fine all on its own, thank you very much. 

Many of these discussions have centered around NATO, and what Trump and his team see as European nations “not paying their fair share” in terms of defense spending. In the administration’s view, Europe has to pay more, or lose American support. What this simple-minded view of foreign relations fails to consider are the myriad benefits the United States has enjoyed being the premier financier and backer of some of the largest global partnerships, like NATO. To simplify matters, America is in short the de facto leader of the western world, and have used this position to become the central world superpower since the end of the Second World War. When America comes calling, Europe historically falls in line.

Now, an America first policy is stimulating a European response; Europe is realizing it can’t rely on the United States’ word anymore, and that it must retreat within itself. The most eye-catching example of this is Germany’s preparations to spend hundreds of billions to rearm (with most of those billions going to German, not American, defense contractors).

It is in this context that I, an American student, have been living in Spain for the better part of three months (I left for Spain days before Trump was sworn in). With relations worsening by the day, I sometimes worry that I will be perceived negatively by my local counterparts because of my citizenship. And that is why Martin Baron’s recent visit to El Diario Vasco here in Donostia is so important. 

Baron visited El Diario Vasco the 26th of March to promote his book, Collision of Power: Trump, Bezos, and the Washington Post. During his visit, Baron displayed a level of humility and worldliness that Americans are stereotypically thought to lack. Instead of imposing his language on the local audience, Baron spoke and interacted with the audience solely in castellano, which he spent years learning (and continuing to learn to this day). Baron himself slammed many of his fellow countrymen, saying they don’t even get a passport or try to find out more about the world.

As I sat and listened to Baron address the local donostiarras, both young and old, I was also relieved that he reinforced the idea over and over of his personal opposition to Trump, his cronies, and his policies, and that millions of Americans are united in that opposition. In the U.S., dragging Trump for many is a daily occurrence so that it becomes a tired, overused talking point. But it bears repeating in foreign nations, especially in European cities that are often overlooked.

That day Baron wasn’t in Madrid or Barcelona, he was in a city with less than 200,000 inhabitants in the north of Spain. 

I was also pleased to see many in the audience paying close attention and nodding along, clearly taking in the messages Baron was sending. To me, it was an example of a very successful cultural exchange.

After his talk, I had the pleasure of speaking with Mr. Baron for a few minutes, and I asked him about my role as an American “ambassador” during my six-month stay here. “Keep doing what you’re doing,” he told me. The most important thing is to fully utilize my passport and the opportunities available to me. Also be humble, open, and determined to learn as much as I can about the local culture so foreign to me. In doing these things, I can do my part in changing perceptions of Americans abroad for the better.

To close out this piece, and on behalf of all the American students that are studying abroad in San Sebastian, I must say that I have felt extremely welcome here. My classmates and professors have gone out of their way to include me in their groups, engage in dialogue, and exchange information about our lives at home. For this, I am forever grateful.