Former supporters attack Nicușor Dan in the European media: “From EU hero to Maga-style nullity”
Criticism of President Nicușor Dan leaves Romania's borders and reaches the European press, after USR senator Cristian Ghinea told Euractiv that he is rather “Eurosceptic” and that he adopts a MAGA-type attitude.
USR criticizes Nicusor Dan in the European press. PHOTO: Medifax
Nicușor Dan is facing some of the harshest criticism from his former political supporters in the USR, and the criticism has now also reached the international press.
In an analysis published by Euractiv, the publication cites leaders and former political allies of the Romanian president who claim that he has moved away from the pro-European direction that brought him the electoral victory and that he adopts a MAGA-type speech, closer to the conservative and Eurosceptic zone.
The main challenger to Nicușor Dan is USR senator Cristian Ghinea, a former minister and one of the people involved in supporting Nicușor Dan in the past, who describes the current president as a leader with conservative visions and reserved towards the European project.
“I think Dan is a staunch Conservative and Eurosceptic,” said Cristian Ghinea for Euractiv.
According to the same source, the negative comments were also fueled by Nicuşor Dan's decision to cancel, last week, the reception dedicated to the Europe Day in Bucharest, an event in which the President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, was to participate, which he motivated as necessary in the conditions where attention must be focused on the consequences of the political crisis generated by the fall of the Government after the motion.
From the EU's favorite candidate, to accusations of AUR rapprochement
The victory of Nicușor Dan in the presidential elections of 2025 was seen in many European capitals as a success of the pro-Western camp. He defeated the leader of the AUR, George Simion, thanks to the strong support of the European People's Party, writes Euractiv, which also specifies the tense political context in Romania, after the cancellation of the 2024 presidential election by the Constitutional Court, amid the controversies generated by the candidacy of Călin Georgescu, perceived as close to Russia and supported by the AUR.
If at that time, Nicușor Dan's victory was perceived as a confirmation of Romania's pro-European orientation, now, however, former USR supporters say that the president's political profile seems much more ambiguous, claims the publication, which notes that all these criticisms intensified after the president refused to support Ilie Bolojan in the context of the motion that led to the fall of the government led by him, of which USR was also a part.
Although Nicușor Dan has declared that he has maintained his neutrality, as an independent president, USR leaders accuse him of avoiding direct confrontation with populist forces.
“The president was elected on a pro-European wave and as a reaction against the extreme right, but he has a strange conciliatory policy and considers pro-Europeans guaranteed support,” stated Cristian Ghinea, who also warned of the risk of a prolonged political crisis, which could culminate in a governing formula between PSD and AUR.
Relationship with Donald Trump and the MAGA label
Another sensitive point cited in the Euractiv article is the closeness of Nicușor Dan to the administration of American President Donald Trump, given that the President of Romania was the only European leader present at the meeting of the “Peace Council”, organized by Donald Trump in February, in a period marked by tensions between Washington and Brussels.
The statement is also based on a statement by USR senator Cristian Ghinea, who accuses Nicușor Dan of basically “courts the MAGA movement to the detriment of the long-term relationship between Romania and the US after the MAGA era ends”.
At the same time, Euractiv cites political sources according to which the president would have avoided direct attacks on the AUR, including because of the formation's connections with circles close to the Trump administration.
These statements fueled accusations of a possible Eurosceptic orientation, but not all analysts share this interpretation, according to the same source, which quotes political scientist Cristian Pîrvulescu.
“Nicusor Dan has always been conservative”, he declared for Euractiv, explaining that some of the progressive supporters of the current president are disappointed because the support granted in 2025 was a strategic one, intended rather to block the rise of AUR than to ideologically validate the candidacy of Nicușor Dan.
“Whether we like it or not, it is a critical strategic interest for Romania to maintain the American military presence in the Black Sea, given the threats from Russia,” also declared Remus Ștefureac, director of the INSCOP polling company, in defense of Nicuşor Dan.
