The US: Not Merely Europe's Reluctant Ally, But a Foe Steeped in Far-Right Thought

On the very date Donald Trump received a tailor-made "award for peace" from his newest friend, FIFA president "Gianni" Infantino, his government published an equally ostentatious security policy document. This fairly brief paper is saturated with the essence of Trump and Trumpism. It begins with the typically humble claim that the president has rescued "our nation – and the world – back from the brink of catastrophe and ruin."

Even though the strategy mostly codifies the current policies and statements of Trump and his team, it must be taken as a grave warning for the world, and for Europe in particular.

A Blueprint of Intervention and Civilizational Fear

The document espouses an assertive form of foreign-policy interference where the US explicitly sets the goal of "promoting European greatness." Its rhetoric seems taken directly from speeches by the Hungarian Prime Minister during the much-discussed migration emergency of 2015-16: "Our desire is for Europe to stay European, to regain its civilizational self-confidence." More worryingly, the document states that Europe's "economic decline is eclipsed by the real and more stark possibility of cultural extinction."

The entire section dedicated to Europe is steeped in generations of European far-right dogma and rhetoric. The EU and its migration policies are held responsible for "changing the continent and creating conflict, censorship of free speech and suppression of dissent, plummeting birthrates, and loss of national identities and self-confidence." According to the document, if "current trajectories continue, the continent will be unrecognizable in 20 years or less. As such, it is not at all clear whether some European countries will have economic power and militaries powerful enough to be reliable allies." In fact, the Trump administration believes that "within a few decades at the latest, some NATO members will become predominantly non-European."

"American diplomacy should continue to stand up for genuine democracy, freedom of expression, and unapologetic commemorations of European nations’ individual character and past."

Core Ideas of the Far Right

These points carry powerful overtones of two concepts regarded as foundational for modern far-right circles. The first is Oswald Spengler's "Der Untergang des Abendlandes," whose thesis on the inevitable fall of civilizations was used by the German far right to criticise the "perversion" and "enfeeblement" of the democratic Weimar Republic. The second is "Le Grand Remplacement," published in 2011 by French novelist Renaud Camus, who transformed long-existing "indigenous" fears into a more overt conspiratorial narrative, alleging European elites of using immigration to substitute restive "indigenous" populations and import a more docile and dependent electorate.

It is the nationalist fantasy encapsulated in both ideas that gives the Trump administration the authority, if not the duty, to interfere in European affairs, the document implies. And it is clear where it identifies its allies: "America urges its political allies in Europe to promote this revival of national spirit, and the increasing clout of patriotic European parties in fact gives cause for significant hope."

The Objective: "Restore European Greatness"

In other words, the US believes that it is essential to its national security to "Make Europe great again," and that the European far right is the only movement that can accomplish this. Therefore, its "overarching strategy for Europe" focuses on "cultivating resistance to Europe’s present path within European nations" – meaning the far right – and "strengthening the robust nations of central, eastern, and southern Europe" – in particular "nations in agreement that want to restore their former greatness" – such as Hungary and Italy.

While the document remains unclear on methods, it is obvious that a priority is to push Europe to adopt a sweeping policy on freedom of speech, closer to the US model – particularly regarding far-right speech – and not limited to social media. Another is to normalise relations with Russia; or, as the document calls it, to "restore strategic stability with Russia." Although the country is not directly called a future ally, the Trump administration clearly does not regard Russia as an adversary either.

A Historical Blueprint: The Monroe Doctrine

In a wider context, the national security strategy takes its inspiration less from the idealized US of the 1950s and more from the 1823 policy of 1823. Articulated by President James Monroe, this cautioned European powers not to meddle in the "western hemisphere," which he declared to be the US’s sphere of interest. The Trump administration’s policy document vows to "implement a Trump addition" to the Monroe Doctrine, which entails the US "enlisting" countries worldwide that wish to help protect US national interests.

None of this is entirely new – consider JD Vance’s speech at the 2025 Munich Security Conference, where the vice-president launched an assault on Europe’s democratic model. But perhaps now that it is published in an formal document, European leaders will finally realize that the situation is grave. And if the document is too long or imprecise for them, it can be summarised in clear and concise terms: the current US government holds that its national security is most enhanced by the destruction of liberal democracy in Europe. In other words, the US is not only an reluctant ally; it is a deliberate adversary. Now is time to act accordingly.