The name was chosen as a tribute to the US president, whom its founder calls the ultimate symbol of populism

A new right-wing party named after US President Donald Trump has launched in Belgium, local outlet BRUZZ reported on Monday, citing founder and chairman Salvatore Nicotra.

The party, officially called TRUMP - an acronym that in French stands for 'All United for the Union of Populist Movements' - has been pitched as the successor to the recently dissolved Chez Nous movement and Belgium's former National Front (NF), a francophone right-wing party that promoted anti-immigration and nationalist policies before disbanding in 2012 amid internal splits and corruption scandals.

Former NF chairman Nicotra said naming the party after Trump was deliberate.

"Donald Trump is the symbol of populism. He immediately shows what we stand for," he told the outlet.

The politician described TRUMP as a "right-wing populist party with a social dimension." He said its platform draws roughly 40% from the left-wing Workers' Party of Belgium (PTB), which advocates social equality and higher wages, and another 40% from Vlaams Belang, Belgium's largest right-wing party that calls for stricter immigration control and independence of Dutch-speaking Flanders. Unlike the latter, TRUMP rejects Flemish separatism and promotes a unitary vision of Belgium.

TRUMP plans to contest the 2029 federal and European Parliament elections and may also field candidates at regional and municipal levels, Nicotra stated. Other founders, all former NF members, include Emanuele Licari, a onetime Vlaams Belang politician expelled for openly glorifying fascism.

The party was unveiled to the press on November 7, with its official inauguration set for November 30.

READ MORE: Hunting the right: How political violence became the Wests new reality

Right-wing and nationalist parties have gained ground across the EU in recent years, fueled by voter anger over migration, economic strain, and opposition to Brussels' centralization. Movements such as Marine Le Pen's National Rally in France, Giorgia Meloni's Brothers of Italy, and Viktor Orban's Fidesz in Hungary present themselves as champions of national sovereignty and conservative values. In Belgium, Prime Minister Bart De Wever also leads the New Flemish Alliance nationalist party within the ruling coalition.

(RT.com)