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Europe’s Answer to Donad Trump: Make Europe Great Again !
Donald Trump has been in office for more than three months now – and has already changed the world as we knew it. A critical analysis of what has happened as far as it relevant for the future of Europe.
Analysing the first hundred days of Donald Trump’s presidency is fraught with challenges: the brevity of the period in question, the apparently erratic behaviour of the president and, finally, the difficulty for a conservative European to objectively assess Trump while keeping in mind the subordinate interests of his own continent. This analysis will focus on several key areas: Trump’s stance on the war in Ukraine, his trade policy, his battle against wokeism, his purge of the administration, and his alliance with Elon Musk.
From United Nations to civilisational spheres
Regarding the war in Ukraine and Trump’s foreign policy, despite a certain diplomatic nonchalance, it is clear that the new president seeks to replace the unilateralism and internationalism previously practised by the United States with a multipolar vision centred around large zones of influence, essentially America, Russia, and China.
The notion of a great international family of 200 nations all moving towards more freedom and democracy under the benevolent hegemony of Washington is supplanted by a logic of powerful civilisational blocs, largely indifferent to concepts such as “humanity” or “international law”.
The notion of a great international family of 200 nations all moving towards more freedom and democracy under the benevolent hegemony of Washington is supplanted by a logic of powerful civilisational blocs, largely indifferent to concepts such as “humanity” or “international law”.
Europe plays only a secondary, or even adversarial, role in this framework, as evidenced by Trump’s ambition to annex Greenland to extend the United States’ strategic space. If this logic were to involve allowing Russia to expand its influence not only over Ukraine but also the Baltic region and even Central Europe, it could push Europe into an alliance with China, thereby upending the established geopolitical order.
The same trend is evident in Trump’s trade policy, which has been marked by numerous reversals. What is clear is that Trump aims to protect domestic industry through punitive tariffs, primarily targeting China. However, his initial bombastic announcements were quickly toned down in response to extremely negative market reactions, revealing a rather improvised approach despite a troubling inclination to deliberately provoke a severe global crisis in support of his “America First” agenda. Besides China, it is particularly Europe that appears to be in Trump’s crosshairs, fostering a growing resentment among many Europeans towards the United States and contributing to the gradual formation of an anti-Trump bloc. This bloc includes not only Europe, China, and Canada (also targeted by tariff and annexation plans), but even Japan and South Korea.
Photo credit : Kevin Carter, Getty Images North America
War on Wokism
That said, Trump does not view Europe solely through strategic or commercial lenses, but also ideologically. With the exception of a few allies such as Viktor Orbán’s Hungary, he largely associates the EU with the positions of the American Democrats, who wield significant influence in Europe through powerful transatlantic networks. Thus, European conservatives find themselves trapped: while they sympathise with many of Trump’s ideological positions—particularly in the domains of family, cultural, religious, and migration policy—their countries nonetheless suffer from the clash between two ideological systems and zones of political influence.
This is compounded by a sense of resentment at the overwhelmingly negative media coverage of Trump in Europe: for him, weakening the EU likely represents just another facet of his fierce struggle against the “woke” ideology that had long been protected, even fostered by the American state apparatus.
The main instrument of this strategy—implemented through targeted budget cuts and significant administrative reshuffling—is the “DOGE” programme. Ostensibly intended to streamline the administration and meet the demands of libertarian voters, it is in reality aimed at purging elites largely dominated by the Democratic left. This radicalism is presented as a response to the pervasive pressure of “woke” ideology felt in all aspects of American life. Nonetheless, it raises legitimate concerns about institutional respect—especially given that similar trends are emerging in Europe, albeit from the opposite side of the spectrum, as seen in the conflict between Tusk’s liberal government and Polish conservatives.
Across the entire Western world, it would seem that the idea of an “ideological state of emergency” justifying exceptional measures is gaining ground—with all the consequences that entails.
Across the entire Western world, it would seem that the idea of an “ideological state of emergency” justifying exceptional measures is gaining ground—with all the consequences that entails.
This brings us finally to Trump’s alliance with Elon Musk. Despite its ups and downs, the billionaire’s growing role in American politics is troubling. From controlling public opinion to space exploration, from electromobility to neural interfaces, Musk occupies a space where the public and private spheres dangerously blur—a fusion that paves the way for a form of modern “Caesarism” with potentially far-reaching long-term consequences, as it openly replaces the remnants of democratic principle with economic authority.
MAGA and MEGA
In conclusion, Make America Great Again (“MAGA”) and Make Europe Great Again (“MEGA”) are only partially compatible. As a conservative European, one may sympathise with several aspects of Trump’s domestic policies while viewing his foreign policy with growing concern. It may be a painful realisation for some that an ideological ally can nevertheless pursue diametrically opposed strategic interests. For it is not the defence of a new world order based on conservative values that drives Trump’s foreign policy, but rather a doctrine of large political spheres that respect others only insofar as they match their strength—and are otherwise ready to crush or annex them. The Europeans, eternally indecisive and disunited, may well bear the consequences.
