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On the very date Donald Trump received a custom-made "peace prize" from his recent friend, FIFA president "Gianni" Infantino, his government published an similarly flamboyant national security strategy. This relatively brief report drips with the essence of Trump and Trumpism. It begins with the typically modest assertion that the president has rescued "the United States and the globe – back from the brink of catastrophe and disaster."

Even though the document largely formalizes the ongoing policies and rhetoric of Trump and his team, it must be heeded as a grave caution for the world, and for Europe specifically.

A Blueprint of Intervention and Cultural Anxiety

The document espouses an aggressive form of foreign-policy meddling where the US explicitly sets the goal of "promoting European greatness." Its language could have been taken directly from addresses by Viktor Orbán during the so-called migration emergency of 2015-16: "We want Europe to remain European, to reclaim its civilizational self-assurance." More ominously, the document states that Europe's "economic decline is overshadowed by the real and more stark prospect of civilizational erasure."

The whole section dedicated to Europe is steeped in decades of European far-right ideology and propaganda. The EU and its migration policies are blamed for "transforming the continent and creating strife, censorship of free expression and suppression of political opposition, cratering birthrates, and erosion of sovereign identity and self-confidence." According to 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 militaries 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 majority non-European."

"American diplomacy should continue to champion genuine democracy, free speech, and proud celebrations of European nations’ individual character and history."

Core Ideas of the Right-Wing

These arguments carry strong echoes of two theories seen as foundational for contemporary far-right circles. The first is Oswald Spengler's "The Decline of the West," whose argument on the cyclical decline of civilizations was employed by the German far right to attack the "perversion" and "enfeeblement" of the democratic Weimar Republic. The second is "Le Grand Remplacement," published in 2011 by French novelist Renaud Camus, who transformed long-existing "indigenous" fears into a more overt conspiratorial narrative, accusing European elites of using immigration to replace rebellious "native" populations and import a more submissive and reliant electorate.

It is the nativist fantasy contained in both ideas that grants the Trump administration the authority, if not the duty, 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 spirit, and the increasing influence of nationalist European parties indeed gives cause for significant hope."

The Goal: "Restore European Greatness"

Put simply, the US contends that it is essential to its national security to "Restore European strength," and that the European far right is the sole political force that can achieve this. Consequently, its "overarching strategy for Europe" prioritises "cultivating opposition to Europe’s present path within European nations" – understood as the far right – and "building up the healthy 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 remains vague on implementation, it is apparent that a key aim is to push Europe to adopt a radical policy on freedom of speech, closer to the US model – particularly regarding right-wing speech – and not limited to social media. Another is to normalize relations with Russia; or, as the document phrases it, to "reestablish strategic stability with Russia." Although the country is not directly called a future ally, the Trump administration clearly does not treat Russia as an adversary either.

An Ideological Blueprint: The Monroe Doctrine

In a broader sense, the national security strategy takes its inspiration 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 interfere in the "Americas," which he declared to be the US’s sphere of interest. The Trump administration’s policy document vows to "assert and enforce a Trump addition" to the Monroe Doctrine, which involves the US "enlisting" countries worldwide that wish to help safeguard US national interests.

None of this is entirely new – consider JD Vance’s address at the 2025 Munich Security Conference, where the vice-president launched an assault on Europe’s democratic model. But maybe now that it is published 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 demise of liberal democracy in Europe. To put it bluntly, the US is not just an reluctant ally; it is a deliberate adversary. Now is time to act appropriately.