Study says US president seeks to interfere in elections and ‘move the ideological centre of gravity’ in European politics
The Trump administration is waging a culture war on Europe by aggressively promoting the Maga movement’s political and ideological allies on the continent and publicly humiliating the EU on the world stage, a joint report by the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR) and European Cultural Foundation has concluded.
The study argues that the US president is actively seeking to interfere in European elections, transform the transatlantic relationship toward conservative values and rally Europe’s rightwing populists around the theme of free speech.
The report suggests EU leaders’ divisions, hesitations and “flatter, appease, distract” approach to dealing with Trump have only encouraged such treatment.
Using research and polling from all 27 EU member states, it argues that enough of them have pro-European governments – and European public sentiment is strong enough – for the bloc to stand up and “defend a Europe that writes its own script”.
