Albania’s Democratic Party and the coming Trumpism letdown

In recent weeks, the Democratic Party’s rhetoric suggests they see Donald Trump’s U.S. victory as their best chance of returning to power. Whether party members truly believe this or not, they’ve latched onto the idea, turning it into a spectacle of wishful thinking and political opportunism.

The party has taken this further, transforming "Trumpism" into an internal competition. Members parrot claims that Trump’s presidency will somehow pave their way back to power. These statements, however, seem less about strategy and more about currying favor with Sali Berisha to secure spots on the candidate lists for the next elections.

Leading this effort is Belind Këlliçi, who, after a brief lobbying stint in the U.S., presents himself as a Republican Party insider, offering amusingly trivial insights. He claims to know Marco Rubio’s favorite drinks, recounts alleged conversations with Donald Trump about Sali Berisha, and even speculates on the number of girlfriends U.S. Congressman Matt Gaetz has compared to Albania’s Justice Minister, Ulsi Manja. Këlliçi even suggests that the new CIA director, John Ratcliffe, might demand the resignation of Albania’s intelligence chief, Vlora Hyseni, to replace her with someone from Berisha's party.

Other members have their own takes. Luciano Boçi predicts Trump’s administration will lift Berisha’s non-grata status, while Flamur Noka goes further, claiming the U.S. will even apologize to Berisha.

The issue isn’t just that the Democratic Party has abandoned logic—it’s that its members are locked in a contest of absurd claims, all in a bid to win Berisha’s favor and secure a spot on the party’s candidate lists for the upcoming elections.

It is natural for any political party to admire Donald Trump’s success in the U.S., but winning requires more than admiration—it demands a leader with comparable appeal and vision. Instead, Albania’s Democratic Party has become a gathering of Trump enthusiasts who seem to believe that supporting him is a substitute for strategy.

This obsession stems from a desire to appear useful in Berisha’s eyes ahead of the 2025 elections. But once the elections pass, and Berisha continues to face legal troubles—or another opposition figure is labeled non-grata by the U.S.—this current euphoria over Trump’s victory is likely to morph into renewed and even harsher anti-Americanism. The disappointment won’t come from Trump himself but from the false hopes placed on those who claim to represent his influence in Albania.

The article initially appeared in Albanian titled: "PD do zhgënjehet nga Tra(m)pizmi i saj"