The third pillar is the Trump administration’s drastic deregulation agenda, which aims to upend the existing European order. They are trying to take advantage of frustration among the EU’s newer member states and to undermine liberal democratic values. The administration’s foreign policy doctrine is all about power and national self-interest. They want to substitute the current hierarchy of respect with one that prizes total, unquestioning obedience to the roster of American interests. This approach marks a significant departure from the traditional role of the United States as a guarantor of NATO and a supporter of European unity.
In recent months, the Trump administration has openly criticized the “massive military, diplomatic, intelligence and foreign aid complex” that has historically underpinned American global ambitions. With the recent critique as background, there’s opportunity to build a much larger strategy. Its aim is to erode U.S. global power projection and to destabilize European domestic political systems simultaneously. The administration appears to be hell-bent on doing that. They want to replace that hierarchy with one that’s built on a conversation-killing power dynamic rather than a connection-fostering commonality.
Far from being a strategic misstep, the administration’s moves are part of a deliberate strategy to elevate far-right parties within Europe. Yet it uses scattershot interventions to punish the European Union. This strategy seeks to strengthen these parties and treble down on all of their grievances. The underlying motivation is clear: by undermining established political norms, the Trump administration aims to reshape Europe in its image.
Trump’s rhetoric reinforces this notion. As he said just last week, “America is strong and respected again.” This opaquely worded phrase would seem to imply that the current administration thinks its policies are working to restore American dominance on the world stage. This claim could not be more different than what is occurring across the pond in Europe. A more isolationist approach would undermine these historic alliances.
The Trump administration’s strategy is nothing new, in fact it mirrors U.S. post-World War II initiatives. It is primarily concerned with promoting stability and nurturing democratic cooperation in Europe. The message of existing policies is a jarring about-face — it indicates that American strength alone takes precedence over cooperative global responses. By discounting the historical importance of NATO and other alliances, the administration places itself and our national strategy in jeopardy of further alienating key partners.
The ramifications of this game-changing turn go far beyond Europe’s borders. The administration is looking to reduce its international footprint. This step marks a major expansion of ambitions demonstrated in countries such as Russia, which often seeks to enforce aggressive regional policies that violate current international standards. In this light, the Trump administration’s vision for America starts to look a lot more like a retreat into self-interest and away from contributing to global security.
The Trump administration is hardly done attacking the foundations of European institutions and values. It is still too soon to tell what this means for the future of transatlantic relations. While the drive to take apart the current system of deservingness and common European culture poses real problems for Europe, it endangers U.S. credibility abroad as well.