EXCLUSIVE: Here’s How They Host A Trump Rally In The Balkans
Cigarette smoke hangs in the air, hard liquor flows, and various meats and cheeses are served at what one might think is a family reunion, but is actually a political campaign rally in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Francis Kapper · Oct 3, 2026 · 4 min read
MRČAJEVCI, BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA — Cigarette smoke hangs in the air, hard liquor flows, and various meats and cheeses are served at what one might think is a family reunion, but is actually a political campaign rally in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The event in the country in southeast Europe unfolded Thursday in the hometown village of Milorad Dodik, the former president of the internal political entity Republika Srpska. Though far removed from the United States, Dodik gave a speech about the future of Republika Srpska while voicing his support for President Donald Trump and acknowledging his relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The rally, attended by the Daily Caller News Foundation, was hosted in a local indoor soccer stadium and featured cigarette smoking, banquet-style dining, and Slavic delicacies including roast pork, cheese, bread, and Rakija, a locally-produced hard liquor comparable to brandy. Notably, the Rakija was actually a Dodik family product, Djedova rakija.
“America is the globally strongest power,” Dodik said during his speech, according to a translation. “That is without a doubt, and we have a year and a little bit more to finish some business with them to establish ourselves in the right way, and that’s why I need a victory.”
Dodik is not actually running for any elected position, but merely supporting his colleagues running for multiple offices representing the governing Alliance of Independent Social Democrats (SNSD). While Dodik is the president of the political party, he is banned from taking any office in the country due to the actions of a former high representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina, Christian Schmidt.
Schmidt removed Dodik from office after he used his authority in July 2023 to unilaterally amend Bosnia and Herzegovina’s criminal code, making the failure to implement a decision of the high representative punishable by six months to five years in prison.
The outlash against Schmidt from ethnic Serbs in Bosnia notably manifested in the creation of a website, aptly named sanctionchristianschmidt.com.
The Srpskan government — and, by extension, Milorad Dodik — is notable for its simultaneous support for both the United States and the Russian Federation.
Dodik, likewise, claims to have strong relationships with both Putin and Trump, notably recently communicating with the former.