One of the most resonant points of the Thermopylae Forum event in Athens, entitled: “Thermopylae – The Battle that Shaped the Future”, came from Greek-American Christos Marafatsos, Advisor to Donald Trump, who took the stage to speak about the strength of the Greek diaspora, the courage and mentality of the Thermopylae.

Among his statements, the bold parallel he made between the American president and King Leonidas stood out:

“President Trump carries the spirit of Leonidas not because of politics, but because of courage. He has been attacked, he has been challenged, he has been underestimated, and he will not back down for a moment.”

Photo: Thermopylae Forum

Christos Marafatsos focused particularly on the incident of the assassination attempt against Trump in July, emphasizing that his reaction symbolized a “Spartan” attitude to life:

“He was shot and he stood up again. He raised his fist in the air – an image you couldn’t stage.”

According to him, at that moment Trump embodied the Thermopylae philosophy:

to stand your ground, to endure, to lead when others were giving in.

The Greek-American speaker also spoke about the duty of the Greek diaspora:

“The beauty of Spartan philosophy is this: you wake up with a purpose.

You are a Spartan when you speak the truth, when you lead with courage,

when you stand up for what is right.”

Christos Marafatsos’ message was received with great interest by the audience, as it provided a different perspective on the US leader and on the timelessness of the Spartan ideal.

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In fact, Christos Marafatsos, in a particularly meaningful and symbolic intervention, invited the Thermopylae Forum to Washington and declared himself a staunch supporter of the vision, thus signaling the dynamic perspective of extroversion that the initiative can acquire.