The Trump administration is waging a “culture war” on Europe by promoting right-wing allies and undermining the EU’s credibility, according to a study by the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR) and the European Cultural Foundation.
The report, prepared by a network of 27 associate researchers, said the moment Trump’s America openly declared a culture war on Europe was during US Vice President JD Vance’s “infamous” speech at the Munich Security conference (MSC) in February.
Vance used his pulpit, just days before the German federal election, to sketch a transatlantic clash over democracy itself. He accused Europe of retreating from the “fundamental values shared with the United States.”
The researchers investigated their governments’ and citizens’ attitudes towards Europe, focusing on how and whether these have interrelated with Trump’s return to the White House.
Their study warned that Trump relies on governments in several European countries to use his “Make America Great Again” (MAGA) narratives and reinforce American influence in the EU. Hungary under Prime Minister Viktor Orban is MAGA’s stronghold in Europe. Trumpists also have footholds in Italy and Slovakia, under their respective Prime Ministers Giorgia Meloni and Robert Fico.
According to the study, Trump and his allies are actively trying to interfere in European elections, shift the continent’s ideological center to the right, and frame transatlantic relations as a divide over values.
The researchers said Trump dismisses the EU as an American foe, ridicules European leaders and bypasses EU institutions in favor of bilateral deals.
They listed some scenes of Trump’s “humiliation” and said the July 2025 trade deal between the EU and the US illustrates this dynamic.
“Trump threatened the bloc with 30% tariffs on imports to the US, which pushed the European Commission to accept a 15% ceiling and pledge hundreds of billions of dollars in purchases from the US. Member states were divided: some leaders wanted Brussels to threaten retaliatory measures, but most preferred to avoid escalation,” according to the report.
Also, as an example of Trump’s humiliation to Europe, the report cited US pressure on NATO members to spend 5% of GDP on defense, instead of 2% at their summit in The Hague.
The same script applies to Ukraine diplomacy. Europeans strive to be involved in negotiations to end the war. Trump, however, prefers to deal with Russia’s President Vladimir Putin bilaterally.
Also, the US President delights in ridiculing the EU’s “liberal” policies. At the EU-US trade deal announcement, he called wind turbines “ugly” and wind energy “a con job”, mocking Europe’s climate ambitions as foolish and vain.
The study said European leaders need to abandon the strategy of “flatter, appease, distract” towards Trump, explaining that it is flawed and short-sighted.
They instead need to be assertive and show a willingness to take greater responsibility for Europe’s security.
Researchers also noted that a recent polling showed that most European governments are aware of their countries’ real and imagined dependence on the US in trade, investment, energy, technology, weapons and troops.
According to the study, Trump and his acolytes can only do this because Europeans let them.
At the first level Trumpists exploit polarization in societies and the rise of Europe’s “new right”. At the second they take advantage of division and hesitation among European leaders.
But also, the study found “European sentiment” - the sense of belonging to a common space, sharing a common future and subscribing to common values, which is best observed against the background of major shocks and events - remains strong across the EU.
The study concluded that there is no reason why Europe’s “summer of humiliation” should have to turn into a “century.”
“If European leaders get their acts together, Europe can thrive. Trump has accelerated the destabilization of the world order and created new threats. But lurking underneath all this are genuine opportunities,” the report said.
