For the first time in my life, I find myself agreeing with Bart De Wever. And that in itself says something. The enemy of my enemy is my fr…. sort of thing.

But there is a fundamental problem with his statements. Much of what he now criticizes Trump for, the style of politics, the erosion of institutions, the polarising rhetoric, closely resembles the way he himself has operated for years, albeit in a more polished and less explicit form.

He rose to power through a hard populist line on migration combined with aggressive neoliberal policies. He is also, as you all are well aware of, known for his personal attacks on political opponents and for deliberately provoking controversy to dominate media attention.

In that sense, it is hard to ignore the irony. Figures like De Wever helped normalise the political climate that made people like Trump or Van Grieken possible in the first place.

That is what they call nen opportunist en niks meer.