We do not want radical socialism in America, Prime Minister!

I have lived in the US since Ronald Reagan was president. As an immigrant, I have experienced American politics at first hand, through several presidents, political shifts and election campaigns.

I therefore do not need Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre to tell me and others how exciting it is that increasingly radical politicians are being elected into American politics.

But that is precisely what the Prime Minister seems to be preoccupied with following the mid-term elections.

In an interview with Dagbladet on Wednesday, Støre described the election result as a ‘powerful political signal’ from American voters. That it certainly is. The Republicans suffered a significant defeat, and the Democrats secured a majority in both houses of Congress.

But Støre is not content merely to note the election result. He takes a positive view of the new generation of American politicians.

– “New directions are emerging within the Democratic Party that appeal to people. We find this exciting, and much of it we can also welcome,” says the Prime Minister.

What exactly is it that Støre welcomes?

The Democratic Party is no longer just the party of traditional Democrats. Or as they say in America: ‘It ain’t your grandparents’ party anymore.’

And neither, I suppose, is the Labour Party.

An increasingly radical and far-left wing has gained greater influence, and politicians such as Al-Sayed, with links to the Muslim Brotherhood, and other representatives of this movement, are part of the development that Støre now describes as exciting.

The Prime Minister clearly isn’t too concerned about the political ideas these new forces stand for. The most important thing seems to be that they represent a new direction which he favours, and that they have won elections.

I find it remarkable that Norway’s Prime Minister is so enthusiastic about political movements in a country where he himself does not live. It is one thing to note that American voters have handed the Democrats a victory. It is quite another matter to welcome these new political directions without saying anything about what they actually entail.

As an immigrant, I have a different perspective on this than Norwegian politicians and commentators who follow the US from a distance. I have experienced both ups and downs and know that political decisions are not just something discussed on television. They have consequences for the people who live here.

Støre also takes the opportunity to talk about climate change and criticise the current US administration’s climate policy. He opened the Zero 2026 conference in Vienna on Wednesday, where Dagbladet met him.

Does he actually spend much time in Norway?

– We’ve had messages from the US claiming that climate policy is a hoax. I think that’s been countered over the last 24 hours. That means we must keep a close eye on it and stay focused,” said Støre.

He reiterated what he has said before, that the government’s climate policy is “the framework for all policy”, writes Dagbladet.

Just think about that. Not care for the elderly. Not the health service. Not those on the minimum pension. Not rising crime, poverty and unemployment. Not Norwegians who are struggling to make ends meet and who cannot make ends meet as a result of his and his party’s policies.

No, it is climate that is “the framework for all policy”.

That is why it hits particularly hard when a Prime Minister who has completely lost touch with his own people sits there in his arrogant manner, cheering on a radical political shift in the US. A development that could have serious and long-lasting consequences for the country and lead to changes that may prove impossible to reverse.

Just like in Norway, Americans have their own problems, economic challenges and political priorities. They will have to live with the consequences of the policies pursued, however exciting Norwegian politicians may find these developments.

Unfortunately, Trump and his party have not delivered as many had hoped, but that does not mean that the ‘strong signal from the voters’ came from the whole of America.

Many are currently lamenting the state of affairs in their own country and fear a future that is not primarily about petrol and food prices, but about radical changes in Washington and elsewhere in the country. Changes that could take away everything they hold dear. Their country and their future.

Shame on Jonas Gahr Støre for forgetting these people.

And whilst he sits there on his high horse in Vienna, planning new, radical green measures that will make life harder for the people of his own country, we return to Ronald Reagan:

Socialism only works in two places: in Heaven, where it’s not needed, and in Hell, where they’ve already got it.

Socialism only works in two places: Heaven, where it’s not needed, and Hell, where they’ve already got it!

No, Jonas Gahr Støre, we need neither socialism nor communism in America. So keep your enthusiasm for radical political change to yourself.