The Trump administration has cast an unusually stark eye on Europe in its new National Security Strategy, warning that the continent risks “civilisational erasure” and may no longer be able to field the economic or military strength expected of long-standing allies. The 33-page document, released this week, lays out President Donald Trump’s worldview with unmistakable force, portraying a West at risk of losing itself and a United States determined to reshape its partnerships.
Describing the strategy as a roadmap to preserve America’s global primacy, Trump reprises themes he raised at the United Nations—chief among them his belief that Western Europe’s migration policies, slow economic growth and climate commitments have hollowed out its confidence. The report argues that if current trends persist, Europe could look “unrecognisable in 20 years,” undone, it claims, by falling birthrates, political fragmentation and an erosion of national identity.
European officials met those assessments coolly. Germany’s foreign minister, Johann Wadephul, said Berlin did not need “outside advice” on matters of civic freedom, though he reaffirmed Washington’s central role in NATO. His comments reflected a broader unease in European capitals, where Trump’s administration has cultivated ties with far-right parties, including Germany’s AfD, classified as extremist by the country’s intelligence service.
The strategy document casts migration as a core destabilising force, accuses institutions like the European Union of undermining national sovereignty, and praises what it calls a revival among “patriotic European parties.” At the same time, it argues that Europe lacks the self-assurance required to confront Russia’s war in Ukraine. The administration insists that ending the conflict is a vital American interest and suggests that managing Europe’s relationship with Moscow will require sustained U.S. involvement.
These foreign-policy claims sit alongside a recalibration of America’s military posture. The document calls for shifting U.S. assets back to the Western Hemisphere to confront drug cartels and external threats, noting the growing U.S. presence in the Caribbean. It also highlights the South China Sea as a critical corridor for global commerce and pledges a stronger American footprint in the Western Pacific, while urging allies—Japan, South Korea, Australia and Taiwan—to boost their own defenses.
Threaded through the report is a familiar Trumpian refrain: the United States must rebuild its industrial base, rely less on foreign technology, and restore a sense of national purpose at home.
