Donald Trump has not even been in office as President of the United States for a year, and to Brussels it seems like an eternity. Every week, new provocations, accusations, and then sudden changes of course have come from Washington. Shock after shock – and the one of December 4 was the peak, says Helga Schmidt, Brussels correspondent for the German public broadcaster ARD.
This is the new US national security strategy – a doctrine according to which China is no longer a systemic, but only an economic rival of the US. Russia is accepted as a great power with a promising market, especially in the field of raw materials. And if there is a conflict with President Vladimir Putin, Trump offers himself as a mediator.
The disastrous image of the European Union
This new US doctrine is making a final break with the Europeans. The country that was once the protector of the continent is now becoming its enemy, the German journalist assesses.
The paragraphs of the Strategy dedicated to the European Union sound like an indictment. They paint a picture of a completely collapsed Union, on the verge of a civilizational collapse, divided by mass migration and low birth rates. They talk about suppressing the opposition and censorship – referring to right-wing and far-right parties in the EU that need to be strengthened.
Ursula von der Leyen: In the EU, everyone can choose "whoever they want"
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen reacted ten days after the US strategy was made public. "None of us should be shocked by the words that others say about us," she said, analyzing paragraph by paragraph, and rejecting the claims from Washington.
The European Union retains the freedom to make its own laws - thereby underlining the rejection of American pressure to allow US tech giants to operate unhindered, without restrictions, in Europe, Von der Leyen said.
In Europe, the Commission chief continued, everyone can choose “who they want,” without external pressure or manipulation. Von der Leyen made it clear what she believes is at stake: “The freedom to live as we want.”
New partners
"The network of far-right and conservative parties in Europe with the MAGA movement has strengthened over the last four years," German-American political scientist Catherine Cleaver Ashbrook explained to ARD's Brussels studio.
She reminds us that US Vice President JD Vance did not meet with the German Chancellor at the Munich Security Conference, but with Alice Weidel, the president of the Alternative for Germany (AfD). Also, the Heritage Foundation's money goes to British right-wing politician Nigel Farage.
“We must now expect this in the context of the National Security Strategy for Europe,” concludes Cleaver Ashbrook. Right-wing parties in Europe are gaining support – in Hungary, where they are already in power, and in countries like Germany, where they are in opposition.
Direct support for the parties is accompanied by networking through the media, including in Germany. Before the Bundestag elections, Elon Musk praised the AfD, not only on his X platform, but also in the daily newspaper "Welt", which belongs to the Springer Group, published Musk's call to vote for the AfD as a guest article. The head of Springer, Matthias Depfer, personally got involved after the announcement of Trump's new security strategy: "Europe should listen to Trump," he wrote in an editorial in "Welt".
EU – a project against the USA?
That the US president deeply despises the European Union was made clear last summer at the NATO summit in The Hague. At a press conference, Trump declared: "The EU was founded to destroy US trade."
Trump sees the European trade surplus as a personal affront: "They don't want our cars!" The answer is drastic tariffs, the goal is to weaken the EU.
In addition, Trump is constantly creating uncertainty about military loyalty within NATO, says the German ARD correspondent from Brussels.
There must be no fewer than 76.000 American troops in Europe.
That uncertainty remains, but it is alleviated by the new Military Budget Act, which Congress passed on December 17th.
As analysts at the Washington think tank the Atlantic Council write, the Act stands in stark contrast to the new US National Security Strategy, as it "impedes efforts in Washington to divert military resources from Europe."
The law prohibits the use of funds to reduce the US military presence in Europe below 76.000 troops for more than 45 days, as well as withdrawing major military equipment or relinquishing the US role as Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR) - unless the Pentagon provides a detailed report to Congress confirming that the decisions were made in consultation with allies and are consistent with US security interests.
The Pentagon said that about 100.000 US troops have recently been deployed to Europe, of which more than 65.000 are permanently deployed, while the rest are deployed on a rotational basis.
Russia the opponent – drastic change in Ukraine's financing
Unlike the new doctrine, which seeks to restore “strategic stability” with Russia, this military budget law “clearly defines Moscow as an adversary,” according to experts from the Atlantic Council.
$175 million is earmarked for the defense of the Baltic states, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania.
When it comes to military aid to Ukraine, to finance the purchase of American weapons, it has been drastically reduced from the nearly $14 billion that Congress approved in 2024, to (only) $400 million now. President Trump's administration has shifted gears: European countries will pay for American weapons for Ukraine.
Congress has also built in controls to prevent the Trump administration from undermining remaining support for Ukraine, for example, by cutting off intelligence support to Kiev and by diverting weapons destined for Ukraine to US stockpiles – as the Pentagon did in June.
Trump reminds us that he is the commander in chief
President Donald Trump has expressed support for the basic goals of the 3000-page law, which authorizes a record $901 billion in military spending. That's $8 billion more than Trump had requested.
He signed it without reporters present. However, a written statement on the White House website states that several provisions of the Act raise constitutional concerns. Specifically specifying which provisions they are, he says, for example, that they “require Congress to be notified before the President orders certain military or diplomatic actions, including the withdrawal of troops below minimum numbers in certain areas.”
Trump states that such advance notices should only be expected "if feasible," emphasizing his role as the US commander-in-chief.
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