International Progressives Plan Resistance to Trump, Right

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez hosted an international gathering of progressive leaders in Barcelona on Saturday—including a couple of American Democrats—in an effort to rally and coordinate resistance to the global right. "We will twist the arm of the people who think they are completely untouchable," Sánchez told the Global Progressive Mobilization conference, Politico Europe reports. He included billionaires and housing speculators, as well as oligarchs who he said exploit democratic systems and young people's mental health. No foreign leader mentioned President Trump by name in public, but his redirection of US foreign policy from NATO and the United Nations hung over the meetings, per the AP.

Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz attended the summit, along with the leaders of Brazil and South Africa and high-ranking officials from similarly minded governments. Although she was in the country, Venezuela's exiled opposition leader María Corina Machado declined an invitation. She instead drew several thousand supporters Saturday to a rally in Madrid, per the AP. Trump responded to the summit with a social media attack on Spain and Sanchez, who is not allowing the US to use jointly operated military bases in Spain for operations related to the Iran war. "Has anybody looked at how badly the country of Spain is doing," Trump posted. "Their financial numbers, despite contributing almost nothing to NATO and their military defense, are absolutely horrendous. Sad to watch!!!"

Roughly 6,000 officials, analysts, and activists attended the event, according to organizers, which featured leaders including Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, and Colombian President Gustavo Petro. Sanchez told the summit that progressive governments must confront what he described as a transnational far-right campaign trying to weaken international institutions. He blamed Trump's tariffs and fighting in the Middle East for contributing to a decline in multilateral cooperation, saying the left must respond collectively. He argued that when progressive parties gain power, their role is not to serve elites but to "put them in their place." Far-right forces are loud but weakening, Sanchez said, adding that "their time is about to be over."