Euractiv Features SEEC Institute Europe CODEL
Eddy Wax/ Nicolette Ionta
6/16/2026
Democrats’ advice to MEPs
A delegation of Democratic members of US Congress has been making the rounds in Strasbourg ahead of the vote on the EU-US deal.
Sean Casten, an Illinois Democrat, stopped short of telling European lawmakers how to vote, but urged them not to confront Trump alone. “Don’t pick a fight, but if a bully punches you, you kick him back,” he told Magnus Lund Nielsen.
“[Trump] intimidates people by suggesting that the tall poppies will be cut down – to use a Dutch expression. You can either sit down individually or stand up collectively,” he said.
Lange’s advice to Democrats, by the way, was to take inspiration from the European Parliament.