Portrait of Ursula von der Leyen
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Ursula von der Leyen

President of the European Commission, 2019 to present

A former German defense minister who leads the EU's executive arm and backed the European Green Deal and joint COVID-19 vaccine purchases.

Ursula von der Leyen sits in the right-authoritarian part of the Caucus economy and liberty compass: slightly free market and slightly authoritarian. The clearest positions are strongly institutional on institutions, strongly globalist on nation and leaning strength-first on war and peace.

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Where Ursula von der Leyen sits on ten dimensions

Each scale runs from one pole to the other, and the dot shows the overall tendency of this person's record and public life. These are simplified estimates and open to debate.

💰EconomySlightly free market
State-ledFree market
⚖️Liberty and authoritySlightly authoritarian
LibertarianAuthoritarian
🎭CultureSlightly traditional
ProgressiveTraditional
🌍NationStrongly globalist
GlobalistNationalist
🌱EnvironmentLeaning nature-first
Growth-firstNature-first
🤖TechnologyLeaning tech-optimist
Tech-cautiousTech-optimist
🕊️War and peaceLeaning strength-first
Peace-firstStrength-first
🏛️InstitutionsStrongly institutional
Anti-establishmentInstitutional
🙏ReligionSlightly religious
SecularReligious
🛡️InterventionismLeaning interventionist
Non-interventionistInterventionist

People most like Ursula von der Leyen

Jens Stoltenberg Prime Minister of Norway and NATO Secretary General98%Hillary Clinton US Secretary of State, 2009 to 201397%Donald Tusk Prime Minister of Poland, 2007 to 2014 and 2023 to present97%Thomas Friedman American columnist and author97%Colin Powell US Secretary of State, 2001 to 200597%Valéry Giscard d’Estaing President of France, 1974 to 198197%Mario Draghi Prime Minister of Italy, 2021 to 202297%Helmut Schmidt Chancellor of West Germany, 1974 to 198296%

People furthest from Ursula von der Leyen

Murray Rothbard American economist, 1926 to 19957%Emma Goldman Russian-born anarchist and writer, 1869 to 19409%Leo Tolstoy Russian novelist and moral thinker, 1828 to 191011%Ron Paul US Representative from Texas, 1997 to 201311%

Political views closest to Ursula von der Leyen

Third Way centrismCombines market economics with moderate social policy and pragmatic problem solving.95%Liberal internationalismBacks a rules-based world order of alliances, trade and institutions to keep the peace.95%OrdoliberalismFavors competitive markets protected by firm rules and a strong state, the basis of…95%European federalismWants Europe's states to pool sovereignty into a shared democratic federation.95%

Read more about Ursula von der Leyen

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Biographies of Ursula von der LeyenBooks on third Way centrism

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Percentages show how close two profiles are across all ten dimensions. Including a person here is for study and comparison, not approval. Portrait: European People's Party, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons; see all photo credits.