Irishman Pat Cox, a former President of the European Parliament, has two words for it: “Buckle up.”
That is his blunt reaction to Donald Trump’s amazing victory in the U.S election, one which has confounded many, including pollsters who got the result badly wrong.
On Friday, this site canvassed opinion from others and the feeling in Europe at least, is generally gloomy about the prospect of another Trump presidency.
Lord (Richard) Balfe, a former MEP, and member of the UK House of Lords, said, “It shows how far apart in values The USA and Europe are. Some good can come out of this if Europe learns to look after itself and stops depending on the US and begins to be responsible for its own foreign and defence policy.
Giles Merritt, founder of the leading Brussels-based think tank Friends of Europe, commented, “Unless the EU wakes up to this new Trumpian world and pulls itself together with the reforms and streamlining it has ducked and dodged, Trump’s trade warriors will pick European countries off one by one.”
Further reaction came from Ian Bond, deputy director of The Centre for European Reform, noted, “In Trump’s first term he had a number of ‘traditional’ Republicans in key positions around him, able to steer his foreign policy at least to some extent. It seems likely that in his second term there will be fewer restraints on him. Given his stated views on NATO and the EU, that poses serious risks for Europe’s security and prosperity”.
Spanish MEP Iratxe Garcia Perez, leader of the Socialist Group in the European Parliament, said, “Democratic and progressive forces must work together on a strong multilateral and transatlantic agenda which delivers for and protects our citizens. Europe needs to show leadership to face global challenges and work for peace and stability.”
Denis MacShane, a former Europe Minister in the UK, said, “Trump is the US president closest to European politics in history. So many of his populist themes – hostility to immigrants, putting nation first, casual racism, understanding of Putin, protecting US food production by tariffs, can be heard from the new generation of 21st century European leaders like Le Pen, Meloni, Brexit Tories, Orban, Kaczynski, Farage, Wilders, or political parties like VOX, AfD, Chega, Swedish Democrats, or Lega.
“Many European countries have a new media like Fox News or battalions off highly paid rightist influencers. Trump’s mother was born in Scotland, his grandfather in Germany. He is much more of a comrade in political arms with contemporary European rightists than is realised.”
Elsewhere, Willy Fautre, head of the Brussels-based Human Rights Without Frontiers NGO, said, “I would have never voted for Trump. Now a lot of increased taxes will be imposed on the importation of European products making our employment vulnerable, Europe’s defence will also be vulnerable, our military budgets will have to be increased and our social model will suffer from it.”
German centre right David McAllister, a senior Member of the European Parliament and chairs its influential Foreign Affairs Committee, has some misgivings.
Speaking to this site he admits that four more years of a Trump presidency “will be a challenge for our transatlantic relationship”, adding that Trump’s first term in office was “characterised by unpredictability, numerous personnel changes and an obvious discrepancy between what he said and what his administration subsequently did.”
The MEP added, “Nevertheless, a close cooperation between the U.S and the EU remains indispensable, not least because of the tense geopolitical situation. Even if our interests do not always coincide, no other international partner is as close to us as the U.S Conversely, we in Europe remain important to the U.S because they cannot deal with the current global political upheavals alone. We should work together to proactively explore the overlaps in interests and transatlantic cooperation opportunities.”
McAllister adds, “Europe must become a partner at eye-level for the U.S. On foreign and security matters, we must do all we can to quickly improve our defence capabilities and strengthen the European pillar within NATO. We must remain transatlantic and become more European. This also means continuing our common support for Ukraine against the Russian war of aggression.”
When it comes to trade, he says the two sides should use the redesigned EU-US Trade and Technology Council (TTC) to “find mutually agreed solutions” to bilateral challenges, such as the American tariffs on steel and aluminium or the effects of the US Inflation Reduction Act.
“Both affect Europe negatively. The EU must be prepared to defend our interests vigorously, while developing our bilateral relations through dialogue. This means, we should take Mr Trump’s threats to impose sanctions of 10 per cent or even up to 20 per cent on all European products seriously and be prepared to signal early on that the European Union is equipped with the tools to respond to such measures.”
The centre right deputy goes on, “However, we will only do so as a last resort. Our main interest is to find common solutions to mutual challenges within the transatlantic relationship and beyond.”
Edward McMillan-Scott is a former senior British MEP who is among those who are genuinely fearful of what another Trump presidency may mean and added, “I described this US election as portentous and it has that character and beyond. The fact that Donald Trump will control his government, the Senate and House as well as the Supreme Court and the armed services is frankly disturbing.”
“He is often gnomic and has a knack for surprise and luck. Relations with the EU are at three levels: the political, which he has derided and the military, represented through NATO – although it maintains a 24-hour situation room with the EU Commission – and trade, where he has threatened a tariff war. All of this makes for an uneasy time for Europe, whose diplomats will be searching for mechanisms of detente, a word much used during the Cold War for easing tensions,” said McMillan-Scott, the last and one of the longest-serving Vice-Presidents of the European Parliament whose portfolio included EU/US relations during his last term.
On Trump’s election as the 47th President, Sir Graham Watson, a respected former Liberal group leader in the EU Parliament, is also filled with dread, saying, “America’s vote shows that countries continue to pull apart when the challenges to humankind urgently need people to pull together.”
“On climate, on peace building and on the trade which creates wealth a second Trump Presidency threatens to damage us all. The case for Europe to unite further is as strong as ever.”
His concerns are shared by German Greens MEP Daniel Freund who notes, “All those who say we made it through 4 years of Trump before underestimate what is happening. Not only is Trump back in the White House. They are winning senate and house as it seems. They already have a solid super conservative majority on the bench. And this time they have a plan with project 25.”
He doesn’t mince his words: “I fear for American democracy. I fear for Ukraine. I fear for European security and trade.”
