Geert Wilders swaps coalition politics for Mario Kart
But the 61-year-old 'Dutch Trump' would rather be racing the likes of Bowser, Toad and Luigi in Mario Kart on his beloved Nintendo games console.
The anti-Islam firebrand is campaigning hard ahead of October's snap general election in the Netherlands, which was triggered after he pulled out of the coalition government in June.
But with three months left of the race to run, the shock-haired populist – infamous for policies such as his call to ban the Koran, is unapologetically hooked on his Nintendo Switch.
Known for his fierce rhetoric on X, Mr Wilders has shown his softer side by sharing how he uses video games to relax after a long day berating his rivals on social media.
'Ok enough politics for today. Back to Mario,' he posted on July 29, alongside an AI-generated image of himself racing as the eponymous Italian-American plumber.
Ok enough politics for today.
Back to Mario. #Mario #MarioKartWorld pic.twitter.com/2ENkZBY6aB
— Geert Wilders (@geertwilderspvv) July 29, 2025
In another post, he gleefully shared a newspaper review of the Nintendo Switch 2, with the message: 'And now the real important news', along with a thumbs up emoji.
Just two days after the Nintendo Switch 2 was released on June 5, a jubilant Mr Wilders posted a photo of the latest version of the console, complete with the new Mario Kart.
'GOT IT!,' he wrote on social media with a celebratory smiling face emoji.
Mr Wilders' love for the Japanese console is not a complete surprise.
Back in 2023, he appeared on state broadcaster NOS's 'Het Jeugdjournaal', a news show for children, during the campaign for the 2023 elections.
No one knew it at the time but Mr Wilders would go on to win a shock landslide triumph once the votes were counted after campaigning on a 'zero asylum' platform.
He revealed his passion for Mario Kart, where characters race around colourful tracks attempting to hit each other with cartoonish weapons.
At the same time, Mr Wilders, who is under constant police protection because of his anti-Islam policies, said he loved reading Donald Duck magazine in his spare time.
'I enjoy Donald Duck comics'
He said, 'I am Geert, I'm married. I have two cats – very sweet animals. [Their names are] Snoetje en Pluisje. I really love Dutch food, meatballs for example. I enjoy reading the Donald Duck comics, and in my spare time – if I have any – I enjoy playing Mario Kart on my Nintendo.'
The news was greeted with disbelief by Dilan Yeşilgöz-Zegerius, the leader of the pro-business VVD and favourite to win the election, before she promptly challenged him to a game.
Mr Wilders was forced to sacrifice his dream of being prime minister to secure the coalition agreement with, among others, the VVD.
This time Mr Wilders, who collapsed the coalition in a row over his 'strictest ever' asylum policy, is determined to take the top job.
But Ms Yeşilgöz-Zegerius has ruled out another coalition with Mr Wilders, making his route to power more difficult in the fragmented world of Dutch politics.
The latest polls have him in the lead, with a projected 27 seats, just three points ahead of the Left-wing and Green Groenlinks-PvdA and far short of an absolute majority.
Mr Wilders was once refused entry to the UK because of his inflammatory rhetoric. The ban no longer stands.
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