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On the very day Donald Trump received a custom-made "peace prize" from his newest friend, FIFA president "Johnny" Infantino, his government released an similarly flamboyant security policy document. This fairly short paper drips with pure Trump and Trumpism. It opens with the typically modest claim that the president has rescued "our nation – and the world – back from the edge of catastrophe and disaster."

Even though the strategy largely codifies the current actions and rhetoric of Trump and his cabinet, it must be heeded as a grave warning for the world, and for Europe specifically.

A Blueprint of Interference and Cultural Anxiety

The document espouses an assertive form of foreign-policy meddling where the US clearly sets the goal of "fostering European greatness." Its language could have been taken straight from speeches by Viktor Orbán during the much-discussed migration emergency of 2015-16: "We want Europe to stay European, to regain its cultural self-confidence." Even more worryingly, the document claims that Europe's "economic decline is eclipsed by the genuine and starker possibility of civilizational erasure."

The whole section dedicated to Europe is steeped in generations of European right-wing ideology and rhetoric. The EU and its migration policies are blamed for "transforming the continent and causing strife, suppression of free expression and suppression of dissent, plummeting birthrates, and erosion of national identities and self-belief." According to the document, if "present trends continue, the continent will be unrecognizable in 20 years or less. As such, it is not at all clear whether certain European countries will have economic power and armed forces powerful enough to be dependable allies." In fact, the Trump administration believes that "in a matter of years at the latest, certain NATO members will become predominantly non-European."

"U.S. foreign policy should continue to stand up for authentic democracy, freedom of expression, and proud commemorations of European nations’ unique heritage and past."

Core Theories of the Far Right

These arguments carry powerful overtones of two theories regarded as foundational for contemporary far-right circles. The first is Oswald Spengler's "Der Untergang des Abendlandes," whose thesis on the cyclical decline of civilizations was used by the German far right to attack the "perversion" and "enfeeblement" of the democratic Weimar Republic. The second is "The Great Replacement," released in 2011 by French novelist Renaud Camus, who translated long-existing "indigenous" fears into a more overt conspiracy theory, accusing European elites of using immigration to replace rebellious "native" populations and import a more submissive and reliant electorate.

It is the nationalist fever dream contained in both ideas that grants the Trump administration the right, if not the duty, to interfere in European affairs, the document suggests. And it is clear where it identifies its allies: "America urges its political allies in Europe to promote this revival of spirit, and the increasing clout of nationalist European parties in fact gives cause for significant hope."

The Objective: "Make Europe Great Again"

In other words, the US believes that it is essential to its national security to "Restore European strength," and that the European far right is the only movement that can accomplish this. Therefore, its "broad policy for Europe" focuses on "fostering opposition to Europe’s present path within European nations" – meaning the far right – and "strengthening the healthy nations of central, eastern, and southern Europe" – specifically "aligned countries that want to restore their past glory" – such as Hungary and Italy.

While the document remains vague on implementation, it is apparent that a priority is to pressure Europe to adopt a sweeping 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 calls 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 enemy either.

A Historical 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 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 zone of influence. The Trump administration’s policy document promises to "implement a Trump addition" to the Monroe Doctrine, which entails the US "enlisting" countries worldwide that wish to help protect US national interests.

This is necessarily new – recall JD Vance’s speech at the 2025 Munich Security Conference, where the vice-president unleashed an assault on Europe’s democratic model. But maybe now that it is published in an formal document, European leaders will at last realize that the situation is serious. And if the document is too long or imprecise for them, it can be summarised in clear and concise terms: the current US government holds that its national security is most enhanced by the demise of liberal democracy in Europe. In other words, the US is not just an reluctant ally; it is a deliberate adversary. It is time to act appropriately.