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On the very date Donald Trump was presented with a tailor-made "peace prize" from his newest friend, FIFA president "Gianni" Infantino, his administration released an similarly ostentatious national security strategy. This fairly brief paper drips with the essence of Trump and Trumpism. It begins with the characteristically modest claim that the president has rescued "the United States and the globe – back from the brink of disaster and ruin."

Even though the strategy largely formalizes the ongoing actions and rhetoric of Trump and his team, it must be taken as a grave caution for the international community, and for the European continent in particular.

A Blueprint of Interference and Civilizational Fear

The document espouses an assertive form of foreign-policy meddling where the US explicitly sets the goal of "fostering European greatness." Its rhetoric seems taken straight from speeches by the Hungarian Prime Minister during the much-discussed migration emergency of 2015-16: "We want Europe to stay European, to reclaim its civilizational self-assurance." More ominously, the document claims that Europe's "economic decline is eclipsed by the genuine and more stark prospect of civilizational erasure."

The entire section dedicated to Europe is imbued with generations of European far-right dogma and rhetoric. The EU and its migration policies are held responsible for "transforming the continent and causing strife, suppression of free expression and stifling of dissent, plummeting birthrates, and loss of sovereign identity and self-belief." Per the document, if "present trends continue, the continent will be unrecognisable in 20 years or less. As such, it is not at all clear whether certain European countries will have economies and armed forces strong enough to remain reliable allies." In fact, the Trump administration believes that "in a matter of years at the latest, some NATO members will become predominantly non-European."

"American diplomacy should continue to champion genuine democracy, free speech, and unapologetic celebrations of European nations’ unique heritage and history."

Foundational Ideas of the Far Right

These points carry powerful overtones of two concepts regarded as core for contemporary right-wing circles. The first is Oswald Spengler's "Der Untergang des Abendlandes," whose thesis on the cyclical decline of civilizations was used by the German far right to criticise the "perversion" and "weakness" of the democratic Weimar Republic. The second is "The Great Replacement," published in 2011 by French novelist Renaud Camus, who translated long-existing "native" fears into a more overt conspiracy theory, accusing European elites of using immigration to replace restive "native" populations and bring in a more docile and dependent electorate.

It is the nativist fantasy contained in both ideas that grants the Trump administration the authority, if not the obligation, to interfere in European affairs, the document implies. And it is evident where it identifies its allies: "The United States encourages its political allies in Europe to advance this revival of national spirit, and the growing influence of patriotic European parties in fact gives cause for great optimism."

The Goal: "Make Europe Great Again"

In other words, the US contends that it is essential to its national security to "Make Europe great again," and that the European far right is the sole political force that can achieve this. Consequently, its "overarching strategy for Europe" focuses on "cultivating opposition to Europe’s present path within European nations" – understood as the far right – and "building up the robust nations of central, eastern, and southern Europe" – specifically "aligned countries that want to reclaim their former greatness" – such as Hungary and Italy.

While the document stays unclear on implementation, it is obvious that a priority is to pressure Europe to adopt a sweeping policy on freedom of speech, closer to the US model – particularly regarding right-wing speech – and not just on social media. Another is to normalize relations with Russia; or, as the document calls it, to "reestablish strategic stability with Russia." Although the country is not explicitly called a future ally, the Trump administration evidently does not regard Russia as an enemy either.

An Ideological 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 1823 policy of 1823. Articulated by President James Monroe, this warned European powers not to meddle in the "western hemisphere," which he declared to be the US’s zone of influence. The Trump administration’s policy document promises to "assert and enforce a Trump addition" to the Monroe Doctrine, which involves the US "enlisting" countries worldwide that wish to help protect US national interests.

This is necessarily new – consider JD Vance’s speech at the 2025 Munich Security Conference, where the vice-president unleashed an assault on Europe’s democratic model. But perhaps now that it is laid out in an official document, European leaders will finally realize that the stance is serious. And if the document is too long or imprecise for them, it can be summarised in plain and succinct terms: the current US government believes that its national security is most enhanced by the destruction of liberal democracy in Europe. To put it bluntly, the US is not just an reluctant ally; it is a deliberate adversary. It is time to respond accordingly.