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On the very date Donald Trump was presented with a tailor-made "award for peace" from his newest ally, FIFA president "Gianni" Infantino, his administration released an similarly ostentatious security policy document. This fairly brief paper is saturated with pure Trump and Trumpism. It begins with the characteristically humble assertion that the president has rescued "our nation – and the world – back from the brink of catastrophe and disaster."

Even though the strategy largely codifies the current policies and rhetoric of Trump and his cabinet, it must be heeded as a serious warning for the world, and for the European continent in particular.

A Strategy of Interference and Civilizational Fear

The document advocates for an assertive form of foreign-policy meddling where the US explicitly sets the goal of "promoting European greatness." Its language could have been taken directly from speeches by the Hungarian Prime Minister during the much-discussed refugee crisis of 2015-16: "Our desire is for Europe to stay European, to regain its civilizational self-assurance." Even more worryingly, the document claims that Europe's "economic decline is eclipsed by the real and starker possibility of cultural extinction."

The entire section on Europe is steeped in generations of European far-right dogma and propaganda. The EU and its migration policies are blamed for "changing the continent and causing strife, suppression of free speech and stifling of political opposition, plummeting birthrates, and erosion of national identities and self-belief." According to the document, if "current trajectories continue, the continent will be unrecognisable in 20 years or less. As such, it is not at all clear whether some European countries will have economic power and armed forces powerful 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, freedom of expression, and unapologetic commemorations of European nations’ unique heritage and history."

Core Ideas of the Right-Wing

These points carry powerful overtones of two concepts regarded as foundational for contemporary right-wing circles. The first is Oswald Spengler's "The Decline of the West," whose thesis on the cyclical decline of civilizations was employed 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 transformed long-existing "native" fears into a more explicit conspiracy theory, alleging European elites of using immigration to substitute rebellious "native" populations and import a more docile and dependent electorate.

It is the nationalist fantasy contained in both ideas that grants the Trump administration the right, if not the obligation, to intervene in European affairs, the document implies. And it is evident where it sees its allies: "The United States urges its political allies in Europe to advance this revival of national spirit, and the increasing clout of nationalist 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 "Restore European strength," and that the European far right is the only political force that can achieve this. Therefore, its "overarching strategy for Europe" focuses on "cultivating resistance to Europe’s current trajectory within European nations" – meaning the far right – and "strengthening the robust nations of central, eastern, and southern Europe" – specifically "nations in agreement that want to reclaim their past glory" – such as Hungary and Italy.

While the document stays unclear on methods, it is obvious that a priority is to pressure Europe to adopt a sweeping policy on freedom of speech, more aligned with the US model – especially regarding far-right speech – and not limited to social media. Another is to normalise relations with Russia; or, as the document phrases it, to "reestablish strategic stability with Russia." Although the country is not explicitly called a future ally, the Trump administration evidently does not treat Russia as an adversary either.

A Historical Precedent: The Monroe Doctrine

In a wider context, the national security strategy draws its ideas less from the idealized US of the 1950s and more from the Monroe Doctrine 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 promises to "assert and enforce a Trump corollary" to the Monroe Doctrine, which involves the US "recruiting" countries worldwide that wish to help protect US national interests.

This is entirely new – consider JD Vance’s speech at the 2025 Munich Security Conference, where the vice-president unleashed an ideological attack on Europe’s democratic model. But perhaps now that it is published in an official document, European leaders will finally understand that the stance is serious. And if the document is too long or vague for them, it can be condensed in clear and concise terms: the current US government believes that its national security is most enhanced by the demise of liberal democracy in Europe. In other words, the US is not only an reluctant ally; it is a deliberate adversary. Now is time to respond appropriately.