For far-right populists, who govern or support governments in a third of EU member states and are vying for power in others, Trump is becoming a problem. The division could threaten the objectives of his administration’s national security strategy, which aims to “cultivate resistance” to Europe’s “current trajectory” by working with “patriotic allies” to prevent “civilizational erasure.”
Donald Trump’s push to acquire Greenland has created divisions between the US president and some of his ideological allies in Europe, where earlier admiration for Trump clashes with one of the far-right’s core tenets: national sovereignty. The US president’s subsequent comments that NATO allies’ troops “stood a little off the front lines” during operations in Afghanistan have deepened that divide, fueling patriotic anger and a wave of criticism. Trump last week abandoned his Greenland bid, promising not to take it by force or impose tariffs on countries that disagreed with him. He also appeared to back down from his criticism of non-US NATO troops.
But for the far-right populists who govern or support governments in a third of EU member states and are vying for power in others, Trump is becoming a problem. The division could threaten the objectives of his administration’s national security strategy, which aims to “cultivate resistance” to Europe’s “current trajectory” by working with “patriotic allies” to prevent “civilizational erasure.”
A little over a year ago, leaders of the European right were enthusiastically welcoming Trump’s return to the White House. A few months later, they gathered in Madrid to hail the “America First” agenda under the slogan “Make Europe Great Again.” Recently, some of them are changing their minds. Polls show that Trump is extremely unpopular in Europe. Most Europeans, including many far-right voters, see the US president as a threat to the EU and want a stronger Union. According to a survey published by the French platform Le Grand Continent, 18-25% of far-right voters in France, Germany, Italy and Spain consider Trump “an enemy of Europe.”
When asked about his foreign policy, 29-40% of supporters of the RN, AfD, FdI and Vox parties described it as “recolonization and plunder of global resources.” Meanwhile, 30-49% said they would support the deployment of European troops to Greenland if tensions with the US increased.
Trump’s expansionism and use of economic force put the European right in a difficult position. Leaders in France, Germany and Italy have criticized his plans, some sounding like ordinary politicians they usually attack. Jordan Bardella, Marine Le Pen’s favorite and head of the RN, called Trump’s Greenland pledge “a direct challenge to the sovereignty of a European country.” He said that “when an American president threatens a European territory using trade pressure, this is not dialogue, this is coercion.” Alice Weidel, co-chair of the German AfD, said Trump “breaks a fundamental election promise – not to interfere in other countries.” Nigel Farage also described Trump’s threat to Greenland as a “very hostile act.”
Some populist leaders in power, such as Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, were more cautious in their criticism, emphasizing the need for dialogue and diplomatic solutions.
However, there has been widespread anger over Trump’s comments on NATO troops in Afghanistan. Meloni described it as “unacceptable”, recalling Italy’s losses and sacrifices in Afghanistan. Analysts say it is too early to predict whether this division will last, but point out that right-wing leaders could come together again on other issues where they have a common interest, such as immigration. Zerka, the European Council’s foreign affairs chief, said that right-wing leaders’ fair criticism of Trump could give them political leverage, while leaders and the EU often seem lacking in strength and unity.