The president-elect of the United States of America, Donald Trump, has not yet officially assumed the office he won by defeating Kamala Harris, and his Serbian fans seem to be cooling down a little from the euphoria that warmed them the morning after November 4.
The first steps taken by Trump are by no means in line with the expectations of the average Serbian admirer of the figure and actions of the newly elected US president. His election as Secretary of State, and a few days later as head of the CIA, slightly dampened the mood throughout the "Serbian world". Future Secretary of State Mark Rubio in Serbia called the adored president of Russia a mobster and is a great opponent of China. In this regard, he was often worried about the situation in the Balkans, especially regarding the strong ties with Moscow and Beijing. There aren't many countries in the Balkans that are in the fraternal embrace of Russia and China, with the exception of Serbia. On top of all that, he is also a strong supporter of Kosovo's independence.
When it comes to the future head of the CIA, John Ratcliffe, the Serbian Trumpophiles are in dire straits. Right after the news that Ratcliffe will become the head of the hated CIA, a photo of him from a meeting of American-Albanian friendship where he intertwined his fingers in the sign of a double-headed eagle, which is a symbol of great Albania, was shared on social networks in Serbia. Ratcliffe is considered a great friend of the Albanian community in the USA. Trump "announced" him as one of his most loyal collaborators.
Many in Belgrade hoped that the Secretary of State could become the bearer of the Order of the Serbian Flag, First Class, Richard Grenell. For now, he is out of office in Trump's environment. He certainly hopes for a new position, but so do the Serbs.
The issue of Kosovo
And so, already at the very start, Serbian expectations are not written so well. The President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vučić, also noticed some of this, but once again emphasized that nowhere in Europe did Trump have such support as in Serbia. Vučić is aware of several facts. The first is that nothing will change regarding the recognition of Kosovo's independence when it comes to the new American administration.
Another fact, which Vučić is aware of, is Trump's rigid and firm attitude towards China. Trump sees China as the main opponent of the USA when it comes to the economy, but also the influence of the United States in that part of the world. One of the first moves that the world expects after January 20 is the raising of tariffs on imports of Chinese goods into the US, which will affect all economies in the world.
While China hopes for a tightening of relations between Washington and Brussels, it is certain that Trump will not look favorably on China's presence in Europe and its influence in Serbia. China not only owns two huge industrial plants - an ironworks in Smederevo and two gold and copper mines in Bor, but is also involved in dozens of state infrastructure projects that Chinese companies have obtained without the usual tender procedure.
The loans that Serbia took from China, in any way, are certainly an aggravating circumstance not only for the Serbian people who need to repay those loans, but also for Trump's image of Europe. In that kaleidoscope of his, there is not too much room for Chinese influence.
Serbia is not only under the great influence of China in the economic sense, but also under the practical onslaught of the Chinese on Serbian cities. Bor was a town with about 30.000 inhabitants, and today about 15.000 Chinese live in that place. The same is true in Smederevo, and Šabac and Loznica are also well on their way to becoming Chinese provinces, thanks to the Chinese company Mint, which is even preparing for the production of lithium batteries that should be mined in Serbia in the Jadra valley in the future.
Dayton Accords
Not only Kosovo, China and Russia are enough for Serbia to sober up from the euphoria caused by Trump's victory. One of the priorities of the new Trump mandate will be compliance with the Dayton Agreement. Certain American diplomats are more than sure that Washington's course will not change on this issue and that Trump will be against any violation of the Dayton Agreement. The main goal of the USA, when it comes to Bosnia and Herzegovina, is to strengthen the sovereignty, territorial integrity and multinational character of the country. And it was repeated several times after Trump's election. Certainly, Washington will oppose anyone who works against those goals and openly advocates secession. Such an announcement will certainly not delight Milorad Dodik, who hopes that Trump could "remove" the sanctions that he personally extended to him in 2020 during his first mandate.
Four topics that are very important to Vučić and his "Serbian world" will therefore be very problematic from the point of view of the expectations of Trump's supporters in Serbia. However, there is one hope left, and that is Elon Musk. It is about the fact that Vučić and the team around him started to spread by hoping that Musk will not allow American taxpayers' money to be spent on non-governmental organizations in Serbia and the Western Balkans, in the way it has been spent so far. There were no protests against Vučić, for which the invisible centers from which each of those "riots" were financed were not blamed.
What Vučić and the aforementioned trumpophiles are not aware of is that if Belgrade annoys Washington with its attitude towards China and Russia, by supporting Dodik in the demolition campaign on Bosnia and Herzegovina and not completing the negotiations with Kosovo, Vučić's least problem will be Mask. It won't be the first or last time that the US finds a way to punish non-cooperation. Due to all of the above, in the coming period we can expect Vučić's servility towards Trump, but no less towards Putin and Xi Jinping. As long as he can, he will balance, without sudden movements. The only thing that will change over time is Serbian fascination with Trump.
Bonus video:
