Trump administration: Europe does not use the USA

Trump administration: Europe does not use the USA

The maintenance of a good relationship between the United States and Europe has long been a matter of course for the managers of both sides of the Atlantic. After all, this friendship has led to decades of peace, stability and prosperity. But then came US President Donald Trump .

Trump and Europe's perception

In his second term, Trump repeatedly with his closest consultants a expressed depth towards Europe . This aversion is mainly based on the conviction that the continent exploits the United States in matters of security and trade. The Trump team claims that the United States has been subsidizing the inadequate defense spending in Europe for decades while being faced with tariffs and trade barriers in return.

ideological roots of the aversion

The aversion seems to be at least partially ideologically motivated. Majda Ruge, Senior Policy Fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations, explains that Trump's foreign policy is an extension of the cultural struggles that he and his administration against liberalism in the United States. "Europe is considered one of the bastions of liberalism," said Ruge.

It continues that the "Make America Great Again" movement is inspired by the disappointment of people through globalization. "It is based on complaints and a counter reaction against globalization, elites, international organizations, supranationalism and everything that the European Union stands for," said Ruge to Cnn.

growing frustration about Europe

Vice President JD Vance may have shown the greatest contempt for Europe in the Trump administration. Just a few weeks after taking office, Vance shocked the European leaders with his Speech at the Munich Security conference , in which he complained about freedom of speech and migration. He even claimed that the greatest danger to European security was not Russia or China, but "the threat from the inside", which he characterized as "withdrawal from Europe from its most fundamental values".

defense spending in the focus

Trump made defense spending a central topic when he became the US President for the first time. At that time, 22 of NATO’s made 27 member states less than the agreed 2% of their GDP for defense. A lot has changed since then - partly because of Trump's pressure, but above all due to the Russian aggression against Ukraine, which was a wake -up call for Europe.

In 2024, only eight out of 32 member states of the extended alliance did not meet the goal. While it is quite true that the United States has invested a lot of money and staff in the security of Europe, experts say that the situation is much more nuanced than Vance and other ranking Trump employees represent them.

US influence and European rights

Trump and his advisors have often pleaded for a withdrawal from the USA from the role of the global police officer and warned of America's commitment in foreign conflicts. But Ruge indicates that this is paradoxical, because Vance and other "restricts" agree on many points with countries in Europe that have criticized US interventions in the past.

In the context of an interview with Unherd, Vance said that if it was "a little more willing to raise against the USA", "the whole world could have preserved the strategic disaster of American invasion in Iraq".

the role of NATO and increasing tensions

The United States has an extensive network of military bases in Europe, with around 80,000 soldiers, which represents a decline of a maximum of 105,000 during the extensive invasion of Russia in Ukraine in 2022. This presence has been proven since World War II and has repeatedly proven to be advantageous. The US troops to conflict foci have proven to be necessary to ensure stability in Europe.

The economic interdependencies between the USA and Europe

Trump has made his personal contempt for the European Union clear several times in recent months. He even complained to the Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin that the EU allegedly made it difficult for him to expand his golf resector in Ireland. Trump has recently claimed that the EU was "founded to disadvantage the United States".

However, this is misleading, since the EU would probably not exist for education without the post -war pressure of the United States. As many know, the United States played an important role in creating a united in Europe because they consider it a stable trading partner and allies. Despite the criticism, it must be recognized that the economic relationships between the USA and the EU are still considerable, with a trading volume of $ 1.4 trillion in 2023.