Mayor of Chișinău Meets Donald Trump Jr. in BucharestCEFR B1
30 Apr 2025
Adapted from Daria Dergacheva, Global Voices • CC BY 3.0
Photo by Marek Studzinski, Unsplash
The story began with a social media post by Ion Ceban, the mayor of Chișinău, on April 28. The post showed him with Donald Trump Jr.; the photo was first published in Russian on April 29 on NewsMaker.Md and was later translated and republished by Global Voices.
Ceban said he met Donald Trump Jr. at an event in Bucharest and captioned the photo "Make Moldova Great Again." He added that they discussed "a number of topics, including relations between Moldova and the United States," and that they "agreed to continue the dialogue." Donald Trump Jr. was visiting Bucharest as part of a European tour that also included Romania, Hungary, Bulgaria and Serbia; in Bucharest he attended a business event organized by Adrian Thiess before traveling to Sofia.
The photo quickly sparked discussion on social media. Some users noted the already complicated relationship between Moldovan authorities and Washington after Donald Trump became President. Others interpreted the meeting as a sign of possible US support for Moldova's opposition. The issue comes as Moldova faces problems after the abrupt suspension of USAID programmes, funding it had received since 1992, and as the suspension has affected construction of a high-voltage line with Romania and put energy security at risk.
Reuters reported in February that an opposition coalition called the "Alternative" will bring together Ceban's party, former prime minister Ion Chicu's party and former lawmaker Marc Tcaciuc's party. The coalition supports European integration and criticizes President Maia Sandu and her PAS party as inefficient and ignoring the public interest; some social media users mocked the mayor with comments like "Make Ceban Smart Again!"
Difficult words
- mayor — elected head of a city government
- dialogue — formal or informal conversation between groups
- opposition — political parties not part of the government
- coalition — group of parties working together politically
- suspension — temporary stop of an activity or service
- funding — money provided for a project or organization
- energy security — reliable supply of energy for a country
Tip: hover, focus or tap highlighted words in the article to see quick definitions while you read or listen.
Discussion questions
- How can a social media photo with a foreign politician change public opinion about a local leader?
- What effects might stopping foreign funding have on a country’s energy projects and security?
- Do you think creating an opposition coalition helps critics of the government? Why or why not?
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