Trump appears to hold up Viktor Orbán as a model for Europe, praising the Hungarian prime minister’s hard line on migration and pointing to Hungary’s strict border controls as proof of what he sees as successful governance, even remarking admiringly: «His country’s landlocked».
Unprepared
In a recent interview with Politico, Trump delivered some of his harshest remarks yet toward Europe, a region long considered a central US ally before his rise to power. He portrayed European nations as complacent and unprepared, insisting that if it were not for his leadership, «you could’ve had World War III». Throughout the conversation, he cast Europe’s current challenges as largely self-inflicted, accusing its leaders of mismanaging global tensions and failing to confront mounting security threats. «It’s a big problem for Europe. And they’re not handling it well», he said, framing the continent as both vulnerable and increasingly dependent on American decisions it can no longer take for granted.
A new national security strategy
Those comments from the president come just days after his administration released a new national security strategy paper indicating that the United States should stop giving security guarantees to Europe. The document signaled a sharp departure from decades of transatlantic policy and immediately raised concerns in European capitals about the durability of the American security umbrella. In its own wording, the strategy proposed that a key pillar of US foreign policy should be «cultivating resistance to Europe’s current trajectory within European nations», a formulation that hinted at direct US involvement in shaping internal political dynamics on the continent. Politico pressed the president on the implications of this shift, asking: «your administration just released a new national security strategy that sent shockwaves throughout Europe. The strategy says a key pillar of American foreign policy should be “cultivating resistance to Europe’s current trajectory within European nations.” How much should European leaders prepare for your administration to ... to push to reshape the continent’s politics?»
The current trajectory
Trump replied by distancing himself from the idea that Europe remains a familiar, predictable partner, answering first that «Europe is a different place.» He then expanded on this point by linking his broader criticism of European politics and economic performance to the question of long-term stability on the continent. In his response, he suggested that the current trajectory posed an existential problem for several states, warning that «if it keeps going the way it’s going, Europe will not be ... in my opinion, uh, many of those countries will not be viable countries any longer.» Coming directly after the publication of a strategy that calls for the US to stop giving security guarantees and to encourage internal resistance to Europe’s «trajectory», his remarks reinforced the impression of a White House willing to question both the solidity of European states and the nature of America’s role in their security.
In many ways
In the interview, Trump insisted that his criticism of Europe was not personal, stressing his rapport with the continent’s leaders even as he questioned their competence. «Europe is … I’m friendly with all of ’em. I mean, I like all of them. I have no real enemy. I’ve had a couple that I didn’t like over the years. I actually like the current crew. I like ’em a lot», he said, presenting himself as someone who gets along with virtually every head of government. He then underlined how familiar he claims to be with the political class on the continent: «and I know ’em very well. I know ’em really well. Um, some are friends. Some are OK. I know the good leaders. I know the bad leaders. I know the smart ones. I know the stupid ones. You get some real stupid ones, too». After drawing that contrast between his personal ties and his judgment of their abilities, he turned to a blunt assessment of their performance, concluding: «But, uh, they’re not doing a good job. Europe is not doing a good job in many ways. They’re not doing a good job.»
An example
As Trump praises Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orbán, he points to Hungary’s strict border controls as an example of what he considers successful governance, noting admiringly: «His country’s landlocked» to underline how Orbán, despite having no coastline, still managed to seal Hungary off from migrant flows. Trump contrasts that approach with the rest of Europe, which he depicts as collapsing under the weight of its own policies. «But most European, uh, nations, uh, they’re … they’re decaying. They’re decaying», he said, arguing that the continent’s leaders have become «weak» and overly constrained by political correctness. «I think they’re weak, but I also think that they want to be so politically correct. They don’t … I think they don’t know what to do. Europe doesn’t know what to do.»