The US: Not Merely Europe's Reluctant Ally, But a Adversary Rooted in Far-Right Ideology

On the very date Donald Trump received a tailor-made "peace prize" from his recent ally, FIFA president "Johnny" Infantino, his administration released an similarly flamboyant security policy document. This relatively brief paper drips with pure Trump and Trumpism. It begins with the characteristically modest assertion that the president has brought back "the United States and the globe – back from the brink of catastrophe and ruin."

Even though the strategy largely formalizes the current policies and statements of Trump and his cabinet, it must be heeded as a serious warning for the world, and for Europe in particular.

A Blueprint of Intervention and Civilizational Fear

The document espouses an aggressive form of foreign-policy interference where the US clearly sets the goal of "promoting European strength." Its rhetoric seems taken straight from speeches by the Hungarian Prime Minister during the so-called migration emergency of 2015-16: "Our desire is for Europe to remain European, to reclaim its civilizational self-assurance." Even more worryingly, the document states that Europe's "economic decline is eclipsed by the genuine and starker prospect of civilizational erasure."

The entire section dedicated to Europe is imbued with decades of European far-right dogma and propaganda. The EU and its migration policies are held responsible for "transforming the continent and causing strife, censorship of free speech and stifling of dissent, cratering birthrates, and loss of sovereign identity 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 far from obvious whether certain European countries will have economies and militaries strong enough to remain dependable allies." Indeed, the Trump administration asserts that "within a few decades at the latest, certain NATO members will become majority non-European."

"American diplomacy should continue to stand up for genuine democracy, free speech, and proud commemorations of European nations’ individual character and history."

Foundational Theories of the Right-Wing

These arguments carry strong overtones of two concepts seen as core for contemporary right-wing circles. The first is Oswald Spengler's "The Decline of the West," whose argument on the cyclical decline of civilizations was used by the German far right to attack the "perversion" and "weakness" of the democratic Weimar Republic. The second is "Le Grand Remplacement," published in 2011 by French novelist Renaud Camus, who transformed long-existing "native" fears into a more overt conspiracy theory, accusing European elites of using immigration to replace restive "indigenous" populations and import a more docile and reliant electorate.

It is the nativist fever dream encapsulated in both ideas that gives the Trump administration the right, if not the duty, to interfere in European affairs, the document implies. And it is evident where it identifies its allies: "The United States encourages its ideological partners in Europe to promote this resurgence of national spirit, and the increasing clout of nationalist European parties indeed gives cause for significant hope."

The Goal: "Restore European Greatness"

In other words, the US believes that it is essential to its national security to "Restore European strength," and that the European far right is the sole political force that can achieve this. Therefore, its "broad policy for Europe" prioritises "fostering opposition to Europe’s current trajectory within European nations" – understood as the far right – and "strengthening the robust nations of central, eastern, and southern Europe" – in particular "nations in agreement that want to reclaim their past glory" – a clear reference to Hungary and Italy.

While the document stays vague on implementation, it is obvious that a key aim is to push Europe to adopt a sweeping policy on freedom of speech, more aligned with the US model – especially regarding right-wing 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 explicitly called a future ally, the Trump administration clearly does not treat Russia as an adversary either.

A Historical Precedent: The Monroe Doctrine

In a broader sense, the national security strategy draws its ideas less from the idealized US of the 1950s and more from the Monroe Doctrine of 1823. Proclaimed by President James Monroe, this warned European powers not to interfere in the "western hemisphere," which he declared to be the US’s zone of influence. The Trump administration’s policy document vows to "implement a Trump corollary" to the Monroe Doctrine, which involves the US "enlisting" countries worldwide that wish to help safeguard US national interests.

This is entirely new – recall JD Vance’s speech at the 2025 Munich Security Conference, where the vice-president launched an ideological attack on Europe’s democratic model. But perhaps now that it is laid out in an official document, European leaders will at last realize that the stance is serious. And if the document is too lengthy or imprecise for them, it can be condensed in plain and succinct terms: the current US government believes that its national security is best served by the demise of liberal democracy in Europe. In other words, the US is not only an unwilling ally; it is a deliberate adversary. Now is time to respond appropriately.