Glenn's Predictions on Politics for 2018

Glenn came up with 40 predictions over the holiday and they were pretty wide-ranging, from medicine, tech, culture, politics, war — you name it. Some seemed pretty optimistic, while others were downright catastrophic. But hey, they wouldn't be true Glenn Beck predictions if that wasn't the case, right?

Below are his predictions that were specifically related to "politics."

Which ones do you think will actually come about in 2018? Let Glenn know by upvoting the ones you agree with him on.

VOTE BELOW:

The Freedom Movement will experience somewhat of a renaissance, both in the US and globally.

In the US, this will mostly manifest at the local level and be primarily pushed by Millennial and Generation Z voters who will be completely disenchanted by the two major political parties. We'll see hundreds of new candidates from new political parties running in state, county and local elections.

Both Democrat and Republican parties will be forced to contend with significant weakness in recruiting and retaining younger voters, ultimately forcing them to change platform stances to accommodate Millennial and post-Millennial/Gen-Z ideas and positions.

A new understanding of a kinder and more ethical capitalism will be "rediscovered" by Millennials over socialism in the coming years. A new strain of "non hippie libertarianism" will be formed. We will see the early signs of this movement in 2018. It will be the alternative to a Bernie Sanders-style socialism.

Churches will continue to lose power and influence.

Those who preach politics over principles and power over people in their own communities will lose more and more influence. The more "hell-fire" preached, the bigger the hit. Although, in times of strife and demagoguery, these will flourish for a short time and then collapse.

Traditional institutions that claim to be infallible or those that discourage honest questioning of doctrine will be the hardest hit. Mega-churches that are all show will lose "sheep" to flocks built on principles of quiet, humble faith and simple, charitable actions.

Hillary Clinton and Huma will be charged with crimes.

Just kidding! Bitcoin at a million is more likely.

The press will continue to be discredited by the Whitehouse and will continue to discredit themselves on both sides.

MSNBC, Breitbart and others that play to the rabid core of right or left will prosper over the short term during the run up to the midterms. It will be this same approach that will precipitate a quick downfall in the early 2020s.

The #MeToo movement will continue to grow, and 2018-19 will be the apex.

In 2018, it will be used to discredit Donald Trump and then spread to the midterms. Sadly, it will become a joke in the end.

It will not be effective against Trump. However, it will destroy what positive brand image, if any, the GOP still has with anyone under 35. It will also hurt the actual cries of victims.

In the US, gun rights advocates will finally get their long-sought Concealed Carry Reciprocity bills through Congress.

Already passed by the House in 2017, a compromise bill will get pushed by pro-liberty senators (Lee, Cruz, etc.) who are safe from midterm elections in 2018. While not perfect (certain waiting periods and state discretion on background checks will remain in place), the bill will effectively remove all state-level restrictions on firearms ownership and possession by enabling US citizens to simply get concealed carry permits in those states that are willing to license citizens from other states (e.g. AZ, TN).

The compromise bill will be voted purely along party lines in the Senate, but will represent a major step forward in securing self-defense rights to all US citizens.

Trump will happily sign the bill into law.

The US Supreme Court will finally strike down pro-labor laws that enable unions to take dues from workers involuntarily.

This will be a major blow to unions in the US because it will dramatically reduce their funding and overall power starting in 2018.

The Trump administration will finally begin construction on a true wall between the US and Mexico.

Discretionary funds will be provided from border protection and law enforcement and new infrastructure spending by the Republican-controlled Congress in early 2018.

While there will be a compromise on The Dreamers as well as an agreement to renew NAFTA as a component of securing the funding for part of the wall, we will actually see major construction begin next year. Construction sites themselves will be the sites of significant protests and even operate under the threat of violence from Antifa and other militant leftwing organizations.

The movement to impeach Trump will persist.

Antifa, coupled with OWS and others, will be funded through Soro's-based organizations to stir up the "Impeach-Trump" movement with marches and sit-ins. The movement will rise and fall in significance and will impact the 2018 midterms and 2020 election.

The Mueller-led investigation into Russia-election-hacking and any connection to the Trump administration will finally be put to rest.

No significant charges will be leveled against anyone and it will end up having basically zero impact on the Trump administration.

While the special counsel will likely issue a report that is strongly anti-Russia and broadly implies there were attempts by Russia/Russian agents to influence the election (in favor of Trump), the report itself will be very light on evidence or specifics. This sad, biased chapter of American politics will finally, mercifully be put to rest.

However, there will be continuing problems on two fronts:

1) The real trouble of Putin's influence in the US and all Western countries will be largely ignored and will cause concern in 2018 and real trouble in 2020.

2) The Trump family's dealings with foreign banks will take the main stage in 2018.

Stay tuned as we'll be rolling out more of Glenn's predictions throughout the week.

GLENN: Today we posted at GlennBeck.com, we've broken my 2018 predictions down into four different categories, and these, I do not put these into the category -- mulch I do -- of like the caliphate. This is me looking for things that I say, okay, so what's trending? What do I think is going to happen? You know. Some of the predictions that I have made in the past, quite honestly, I don't -- I didn't have to think about those. They just -- they just hit me. So I just want to separate -- these are Glenn predictions, if you will, that I sat down and said, okay, so what are the trends doing.

So I put a few predictions down, and I think some of them are right, but we're asking you to vote and for the next couple of days, they will be broken up in chunks. Today, they're all political, and you can find them at GlennBeck.com.

STU: And the idea is to rank them as to what is the most likely to come true.

GLENN: And some of them are going to be hard. There are some of them that have several predictions in each one. You know what I mean? And so, you know, which one is going to come true? Which one do you think --

STU: You're not backing out of this? Is that what's haggle?

GLENN: No. 40 of them and there's going to be 39 that you're going to be able to beat me with a stick on next year.

Okay.

So here's prediction #1. The freedom movement will experience a bit of a renaissance. Both in the US and globally. In the US, this will mostly manifest at the local level of and be primarily pushed by millennial and Generation Z voters, who will be completely disenchanted by the two major political parties. We'll see hundreds of new candidates from new political parties running in state, county, and local elections, both Democrat and Republican parties will be forced to contend with significant weakness in recruiting and retaining younger voters, ultimately forcing them to change their platform stances to accommodate millennial and postmillennial/Generation Z ideas and positions.

Also, a new understanding of a kinder and more ethical capitalism will be rediscovered by millennials over socialism in the coming years. A new strain of, quote, nonhippie Libertarianism will be formed. We'll see the early signs of this movement in 2018. It will be the alternative to a Bernie Sanders-style socialism. What do you think?

[Buzz].

STU: I'm going with disagree on that one.

GLENN: Really?

STU: Yeah, that's not happening.

GLENN: Really?

STU: Yeah. The American people don't care about that stuff anymore. I honestly do think that, like, there is --

GLENN: This is driven by millennials, though. I think they do care.

STU: I don't care --

GLENN: They don't care about the parties and they don't believe in any of that. But they actually --

STU: I disagree! They're super passionate about the parties. If anything has been taught to us over the past couple of years, I think, is that people really freakin' care about that red versus blue battle. It is the most important thing in politics that they care about. It's that. And look, that summarizes a lot of things. A lot of things that are really material. Real policy differences. There's a lot of in there. I just don't think that's the primary concern of people who are -- the average person who's not listening to 15, 30 hours of talk radio every week. The average person cares only about that red versus blue battle. So the idea that they're going to lock into some third party or out of the system thing, I disagree with that.

GLENN: I just think that millennials, generally speaking, are going to -- they're so disgusted by all of it, they don't believe either side. They believe one side or the other more, but they don't -- they're disgusted by it, and it's going to get worse and worse and worse. And they're just a new -- I think there is a new attitude coming with the leaders of millennials.

Remember, it takes 10% to really change things. 18% is the tipping point. I'm not talking about 18% of millennials doing this.

STU: I think 4 of them doing anything would be a --

GLENN: Don't count those guys out.

STU: I'm not counting them out, but I do think that we're seeing now, in my opinion, is more of an association of, yeah, you're right. They're sick of it. They're sick of the way things are going. But what that -- how they crystallize that in their own lives is, attacking the other side. They're sick of that -- those people. Not themselves.

GLENN: So in this, both Republican and Democratic parties will be forced to contend with significant weaknesses in recruiting and retaining younger voters.

What that includes in there is the Democrats are going to move to more socialist ideas. They are going to -- the Bernie Sanders thing, and I don't know if it will be with Bernie Sanders, but the Bernie Sanders thing, socialism is going to become very, very popular. But at the same time, a new understanding of freedom, one that actually -- one that is -- that actually believes in diversity, that actually says, yeah, I don't care if you get married or not. The government shouldn't be involved. I don't care what you -- if you go to church or you don't go to church. The government shouldn't be involved. Are you a decent person? Are you hurting people? Are you, like, stealing money? Are you trying to take people's stuff? Are you trying to kill people? It's going to be boiled down to a much simpler, more Constitutional Bill of Rights kind of freedom on the other side.

STU: I feel like we're both looking outside and seeing really dark clouds, and I'm predicting rain, and you're predicting suntan time. You're predicting laying out by the pool. And it's 40 degrees, and for some reason, you're thinking it's all going to clear and go to 80 later on in the search if we get your bathing suits on.

GLENN: I cannot believe how much we've flipped places.

STU: You are way more optimistic on this. I have no hope on these things.

GLENN: You used to be the guy saying the exact opposite to me.

STU: Yeah, that's true. And I've been proven wrong! Clearly.

(Laughter.)

GLENN: Okay. Next prediction. Churches will continue to lose power and influence through 2018. Those who preach politics over principles and power over people in their own communities will lose more and more influence. The more hell fire that is preached, the bigger the hit. Although in times of strife and demagoguery, these flourish for a short time. But they will collapse.

Traditional institutions that claim to be infallible and that discourage thought and honest questions on their own doctrine will be hardest hit.

At the same time, megachurches that are more show will suffer and shed sheep to flocks who embody through quiet and humble action a simple, happy, and charitable life.

STU: That's interesting. I mean, because you were talking about millennials. What is it, now, a third of millennials think that church does more damage to society than good for society.

I mean, I think you're right. The one place you should be able to chase principle with no pragmatism at all is church. You should never make a church-based decision, when you're talking about faith-based things that's related to pragmatism. I want to go into church and then to tell me the thing that seems most obvious is the thing you shouldn't do, because of this guiding principle from this book that's really old, and we've been talking about for a long time.

GLENN: Right.

STU: And I think a lot of churches have gone -- and we've certainly seen on the left, and I think increasingly on the right, that have looked at the world and have formed their message based on the world and how it's moved, rather than a -- you know, a stone tablet, right? The place where it lives all the time and never changes.

GLENN: Yes, but it's also -- I think there's a difference now coming on -- on action. I do not want to just go sit in a church. I want to -- I want something that changes my life. I want something that goes out and does good. I want to be involved in doing things and helping people, and show it to me. Don't talk to me about it. Let's do it.

STU: And feel it, right?

GLENN: Yeah. I think that's what's coming. I think the pomp and circumstance, the traditional ways that we have connected religiously are falling away, and the churches that figure out that a church is just a place, it's a building. Real church, you should be in all the time. And it's everywhere. It's everywhere you go. And it's how you live your life I think those will prosper. We'll see. More in a second.

STU: GlennBeck.com is the place to go and see all of his predictions on politics. You can also sign up for the newsletter and get them all at once.

GLENN: And vote for them.

STU: And vote to see which one you think is most likely to happen and which one you think has no freakin' chance, you're going to have lots of opportunities on that.

Top THREE reasons we NEED the Panama Canal

Justin Sullivan / Staff | Getty Images

Is Trump seriously planning a military conquest of the Panama Canal?

In the weeks leading up to the inauguration, Donald Trump launched the Panama Canal into the national spotlight. The canal is one of the most important passages in the world, and its continued operation has been critical for both the U.S. military and economy since its construction.

Since America relinquished sovereignty of the canal, China has asserted its authority in the region. The Chinese Communist Party has been growing its influence in Panama and neighboring Latin American countries, convincing them to join their "Belt and Road Initiative," an effort to poise China as the main economic power in developing nations across the world. Panama in particular is quickly becoming a Chinese puppet state. There are currently over 200,000 Chinese living in Panama, a Chinese company runs two of the canal's five major ports, and another Chinese company provides telecommunication service for a large portion of the canal. The government of Panama has even gone as far as cutting diplomatic ties with Taiwan.

It's clear that the Panama Canal is under serious threat of falling into Chinese hands, but President Trump doesn't intend to let them move in. Here are the top three reasons we need the Panama Canal:

1. The canal was built by the U.S.

Hulton Archive / Stringer | Getty Images

Without the United States, neither Panama nor the Panama Canal would exist. In 1903, after Colombia refused to allow the U.S. to build a canal across the isthmus of Panama, President Teddy Roosevelt devised a controversial plan. He supported a Panamanian independence movement, which swiftly overthrew the local Colombian government. Meanwhile, he stationed a U.S. warship off the coast, preventing Colombia from sending military forces to retake Panama.

The moment Panama declared its independence, the U.S. recognized it and struck a deal with the new government: the U.S. would control the Canal Zone, while Panama would receive $10 million and an annual payment of $250,000. Construction of the canal took over a decade, cost $375 million, and resulted in thousands of American casualties, making it the most expensive U.S. construction project of its time.

Fast forward to 1964 when tensions between the U.S. and Panama over the canal erupted into a riot. President Lyndon B. Johnson decided it was time to transfer control of the canal to Panama. However, this proved more complicated than expected. In 1968, General Omar Torrijos, a known ally of Cuban dictator Fidel Castro, seized control of Panama in a coup. Negotiations over the Canal stalled, as many Americans opposed giving such an important asset to a controversial figure. It wasn’t until 1999, following the deployment of 27,000 U.S. troops to facilitate yet another change in power, that the Canal was officially handed over to Panama.

2. The canal is vital for the U.S. economy

IVAN PISARENKO / Contributor | Getty Images

The U.S. relies heavily on the Panama Canal for commercial shipping. Between 13 and 14 thousand ships use the Panama Canal every year, which is roughly 40 percent of the global cargo ship traffic. Additionally, 72 percent of ships traversing the canal are either heading toward or leaving a U.S. port.

The time ships save using the Panama Canal reduces shipping costs massively. For example, when the canal first opened in 1922, it was estimated that a ship’s journey from Oregon to the UK, was shortened by 42 percent, reducing costs by 31 percent. If the Panama Canal was blocked or destroyed, or if American merchant vessels were denied passage, the effects on the U.S. economy would be tremendous.

3. The canal is a key defense point for the U.S. military

Historical / Contributor | Getty Images

Similarly, the canal is key to the U.S. military and national security. The canal shaves off approximately 8,000 miles of the voyage between the Pacific and the Atlantic. If U.S. Navy ships were denied access in a time of crisis, the extra time required to bypass the canal would be disastrous. Conversely, if the U.S. can keep the Panama Canal from being used by foreign aggressors, it would provide a massive advantage in future conflicts.

A foreign enemy could easily exploit the canal's current vulnerability. This was proven in 2021 when a cargo ship accidentally blocked the Suez Canal for a week, paralyzing global trade. Imagine China intentionally sabotaging the Panama Canal, considering it controls ports on both ends, owns a bridge that spans the Canal, provides its telecom services, and has the second-largest fleet of ships using the route.

TOP 5 takeaways from JD Vance's 'Face the Nation' interview

Anna Moneymaker / Staff | Getty Images

After an eventful first week in office, JD Vance wrapped the week up with a bang of an interview on "Face the Nation."

Last weekend, Vice President Vance joined "Face the Nation" host Margaret Brennan, who drilled Vance on everything from the economy to immigration. Vance clapped back with polite yet cutting responses, and he defended Trump against some of her more accusatory queries.

If there was any lingering doubt that JD Vance wasn't vice presidential (or presidential) material, they have just been blown away. Here are the major takeaways from his electricinterview on Sunday:

1. J.D. Vance defends Trump's cabinet picks

Bloomberg / Contributor | Getty Images

Brennan opened the interview with a barrage of questions that brought up concerns surrounding some of Trump's cabinet picks, specifically Pete Hegseth and Tulsi Gabbard.

Brennan began by questioning how effective Pete Hegseth could be as Secretary of Defence, given that he was confirmed with a tie in the Senate that VP Vance broke. Vance responded with a quick breakdown of all of the issues the military is currently facing. Vance argued that Hegseth's unpopularity in the Senate results from his being a disruptor.

Brennan also attacked Tulsi Gabbard, calling her unfit for the title of "Director of National Intelligence." Vance defended Gabbard, citing her formidable resume and strong character. Vance also discussed the corruption of our intelligence services, which out-of-control bureaucrats have weaponized against the interests of the American people. He expressed his belief that Gabbard would be the right person to reign in the corruption and return the National Intelligence Service to its intended purpose.

2. J.D. Vance explains how Trump's economic policies will lower consumer prices

Brandon Bell / Staff | Getty Images

Brennan pushed Vance on the economy, specifically questioning when prices for consumer goods would begin to fall. Vance explained that within the plethora of executive orders issued by Trump during his first week in office, many were aimed at bringing more jobs back into America, which will raise wages and lower prices. Other orders will boost energy production, which will reduce energy costs and decrease the costs of goods.

3. J.D. Vance sheds light on needed FEMA reforms

ROBYN BECK / Staff | Getty Images

Brennan drilled Vance on President Trump's proposed FEMA reforms, specifically regarding Trump's suggestion to send states a percentage of federal disaster relief funds so that they can quickly distribute aid rather than wait on federal action. While Brennen argued that FEMA has specialists and resources that states would not have access to, leaving people without aid, Vance argued that recent disasters, like Hurricane Helene, have proven that FEMA's current bureaucratic red tape deprived Americans of immediate aid when they needed it most.

4. J.D. Vance defends Trump's mass deportations

PIERRE-PHILIPPE MARCOU / Contributor | Getty Images

Vance defended Trump's decision to allow ICE to conduct raids into churches and schools against Brennen's criticisms, arguing that law enforcement should remove a dangerous criminal from a school or church, regardless of their immigration status. He also advocated for Trump's proposed changes to birthright citizenship to prevent illegal immigrants from abusing the constitutional amendment by having "anchor babies" on U.S. soil.

Vance also took a hard stance supporting Trump suspension of admitting Afghan refugees. Brennan argued that Afghan refugees were going through a thorough vetting process and were now being abandoned by the U.S. However, Vance cited the foiled terrorist attack in Oklahoma City during Trump's 2024 campaign that was orchestrated by an Afghan refugee, who was allegedly vetted by federal agents. The vetting process is clearly flawed, and it was a prudent decision to halt the admission of these refugees until further notice.

5. J.D. Vance insists that Trump will still reign in Big Tech

PIERRE-PHILIPPE MARCOU / Contributor | Getty Images

To wrap up the interview, Brennan questioned the Trump administration's stance on Big Tech given the attendance of the industry's biggest names at Trump's inauguration, including Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, Google CEO Sundar Pichai, Apple CEO Tim Cook, and TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew. Vance assured Brennan that Trump is still resolved to curb the power and influence of Big Tech.

Top THREE reasons the U.S. NEEDS Greenland

EMIL STACH / Contributor | Getty Images

Are Trump's repeated promises to claim Greenland for the U.S. just belligerent imperialism or a deft move to secure the future of America?

During his patriotic inaugural address, President Trump reiterated his campaign promise to expand American territories, including securing U.S. control over Greenland. This is not a new idea despite what the mainstream media may claim.

The idea of buying Greenland was originally introduced by progressive hero Woodrow Wilson in 1917 as an attempt to secure the homeland as America was gearing up to enter the First World War. The second attempt came after World War II when President Truman tried to buy the island from Denmark in another attempt to shore up national security, this time against the Soviets. Since then, Trump floated the idea in 2019, which was met with much the same ridicule as now.

The truth is that the acquisition of Greenland represents far more than just an outlet for repressed imperialist desires. It would be one of America's best investments in a long time, which is why we've been eyeballing it for so long. Here are three reasons the U.S. needs Greenland:

Strategic Military Position

THOMAS TRAASDAHL / Contributor | Getty Images

For the majority of the 20th century, Europe was the region from which a foreign attack on American soil could be launched: the Germans for the first half of the century, and the Russians for the second half. On both occasions, Greenland stood between our foreign enemies and the United States.

After the World War II, America was the official military defender of Greenland, per an agreement with Denmark. Under this agreement, the U.S. built Pituffik Air Force Base, a remote base 750 miles north of the Arctic Circle. Due to its location, approximately halfway between D.C. and Moscow, the Pentagon still views Pituffik as a vital component of America's nuclear defense.

The U.S. also built a secret base within the ice cap known as Camp Century. Camp Century was part scientific outpost, part nuclear-tipped ballistic missile silo built in the ice to withstand a direct atomic strike. The nearly two miles of icy tunnels were powered by a nuclear reactor and were designed to survive a nuclear first strike, and return fire. Although abandoned in 1967, Camp Century still symbolizes the strategic importance of Greenland for U.S. security.

Untapped Resources

OLIVIER MORIN / Contributor | Getty Images

While Greenland's population is a mere 56,000, the island has a total landmass nearly three times the size of Texas. According to a 2009 geological assessment, a whopping 30 percent of the Earth's undiscovered natural gas, and 13 percent of its undiscovered oil is locked away beneath Greenland's icy ground. There are also untapped deposits of valuable rare earth metals including copper, graphite, and lithium.

Neither Greenland nor Denmark have any real plans to tap into this immense wealth trapped beneath the ice, but it could prove crucial for ending the West's dependency on China. China has the global market cornered on rare earth minerals- including America. We acquire 72 percent of our rare earth mineral imports from China, making us entirely dependent on them for the manufacturing of many essential goods. Tapping Greenland's natural resources would help free America, and the West, from China's yolk.

Polar Silk Road

mark peterson / Contributor | Getty Images

In 2018 China launched an ambitious project that aimed to cut the travel time of cargo vessels between its ports and European markets in half. China, in collaboration with Russia, plans on developing new shipping routes through the Arctic Ocean. This bold new strategy, dubbed the "Polar Silk Road," has been made possible thanks to new tech, including a fleet of Russian, nuclear-powered icebreakers, the latest of which is capable of breaking through nearly 10 feet of ice.

With clear waterways from eastern China and Northern Europe, it won't be long before the first cargo ships brave the frigid sea and China looks to the next leg of the journey: the Northwest Passage. The Northwest Passage is the area of sea between Canada and the North Pole that would be an optimal shipping route between America's East Coast and Asia if it wasn't frozen over most of the year. But with new technology, we may be able to overcome the challenges of the ice and open the passage to commercial traffic, and Greenland is positioned directly on the passage's easternmost mouth.

Greenland would quickly become a key location along the Northwestern Passage, acting as a sentinel of the east, with the ability to control traffic through the trade route. If China or Russia were to take control of Greenland, they would dominate the Northwestern Passage, along with the rest of the new northern trade routes.

Is Romania squashing its own 'Trump' candidate?

DANIEL MIHAILESCU / Contributor | Getty Images

This week the streets of Bucharest, the capital of Romania, erupted in protest after the Constitutional Courts annulled the recent first round of the presidential election after the "far-right" candidate won.

The government is lying to you. If you have been listening to Glenn for a long time you already know that, and you also know that if you try to call attention to the lies you get labeled a conspiracy theorist or "far-right." This is not only true in America but across the world. Politicians cheat, steal, and grab power, then lie about all of it. This is the root of countless issues across every government on the planet, and recently Romania has become the latest example of this unfortunate phenomenon.

But what is really happening in Romania? Was this an actual attempt to stamp out someone who would shed light on lies and corruption? Or did the Romanian government put a stop to a genuine bad actor?

The Election

Bloomberg / Contributor | Getty Images

On December 6th, 2024, the Romanian Constitutional Court canceled the second round of the presidential election amid claims of Russian interference. The second round of the election would have seen right-wing candidate, Calin Georgescu face off against pro-European centrist Elena Lasconi.

The trouble surrounds Georgescu, who stands accused of using Russian aid to run an unprecedented social media campaign that helped him win an election pollsters claimed he stood no chance of winning. Georgescu's rapid rise in popularity on social media does raise some eyebrows, and to add to the suspicion he declared he had zero campaign spending. On the other hand, Georgescu's supporters claim that his quick rise to stardom and underdog victory is due to the growing resentment for the ever-out-of-touch political elite.

Georgescu's Platform

Andrei Pungovschi / Stringer | Getty Images

Georgescu rose to prominence on a platform many of his detractors have labeled "far-right," "pro-Russian," and "populist" (sound familiar?). His positions include supporting Romanian farmers, increasing Romanian self-reliance, and increasing local energy production. Georgescu has been lauded for his message of hope and vision for the future and his dedication to truth, freedom, and sovereignty.

Georgescu is also a vocal Christian and a supporter of the Romanian Orthodox Church. He has questioned the climate change and COVID-19 narrative as well as NATO and the war in Ukraine, which is how he earned his "Pro-Russian" monicker. Georgescu promised to respect and honor its obligations to the EU and NATO, but only to the extent that they respect Romania and its interests.

What Happens Next?

Bloomberg / Contributor | Getty Images

After Georgescu's unexpected victory, the Romanian Constitutional Courts annulled the election's first round and scheduled it to restart on May 4th. As of now, it is unclear whether Georgescu will be allowed to participate in the new election. This act by the Constitutional Courts triggered mass protests in the capital, Bucharest, and has caused many Romainians to question the state of democracy within their country.

Many of the protesters are calling what happened a coup and are demanding the election be allowed to continue to the second round. They are also calling for the resignation of current President Klaus Iohannis, who has maintained power thanks to the incomplete elections. Georgescu has officially challenged the court's decision and even made a complaint to the European Court of Human Rights, but it is unclear if his appeal will make any difference.