-Analysis-
PARIS – Europeans thought they’d be dealing with Donald Trump’s return to the White House on Jan. 20. Instead, they find themselves facing both Trump and Elon Musk even before the inauguration.
The past few days have been nothing short of tumultuous. The U.S. president-elect has shocked many by suggesting the use of force against NATO ally Denmark if it refuses to “sell” Greenland — an unheard of scenario. Meanwhile, Tesla and SpaceX CEO Musk has been promoting far-right movements in Germany and the UK, calling German Chancellor Olaf Scholz an “absolute idiot” and, according to the Financial Times, reportedly seeking ways to unseat UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer “before the next elections.”
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Just weeks ago, European leaders were questioning whether Trump would defend the continent in the event of a Russian attack. Now, they face the opposite concern: Is the 47th president of the United States himself a threat to Europe, its institutions and even its democratic model? A modern take on the quote often attributed to Voltaire: “Lord, protect me from my friends; I can handle my enemies!”
Shifting alliances
And failing to anticipate it, by taking control of its destiny more decisively than it has so far, the continent is disoriented and divided.
French President Emmanuel Macron visited Starmer last night to strengthen a budding alliance that could bring post-Brexit Britain closer to the European Union. London’s dream of a “special relationship” with Washington is now relegated to outdated nostalgia: There’s no room for sentimentality in the “Trusk” era, a neologism blending Trump and Musk.
There is also talk of sending the foreign ministers of France, Germany, and Poland — the “Weimar Triangle — to the United States shortly after Trump’s inauguration. It would be a “peace mission,” but also a statement of Europe’s collective identity as an ally of the United States — not a punching bag for the MAGA movement.
European divisions
Is Europe united in this position? That the eternal question in Europe, no matter the topic. And the answer is “no.”
First, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni is going her own way. From the far-right with her party Fratelli d’Italia, she has become the best friend of Musk, to whom she is entrusting a controversial .5 billion satellite network contract that bypasses a similar European project.
Meloni is calculating that she stands to gain by becoming Trump’s main interlocutor in Europe.
On Thursday, she also defended Trump’s statements about Greenland and the Panama Canal, claiming they were actually directed against China. Meloni is clearly calculating that she stands to gain by becoming Trump’s main interlocutor in Europe.
Then there’s the European Commission, which has been troublingly silent. This cannot last long, as the Trump-Musk alliance is directly challenging the European system of regulating tech platforms. It will be the first test of the new transatlantic order: Europe must prepare — because it is not ready.
