Trump Policy Blueprint Alarms Europe With Warnings of “Civilizational Erasure” and Support for Far-Right Movements

A newly released U.S. national security strategy drafted under President Donald J. Trump has sent shock waves through European capitals, portraying the continent as facing “civilizational erasure” within two decades and openly aligning Washington with Europe’s nationalist and far-right political movements.

The 33-page document, introduced with a preface signed by Mr. Trump, presents a stark and controversial diagnosis of Europe’s future. While acknowledging economic strains, it argues the larger threat lies in migration patterns, the loss of national sovereignty, and what it describes as a European Union that “undermines political liberty” and suppresses dissent. If those trends continue, the document claims, Europe “will be unrecognizable in 20 years or less.”

Framed as a blueprint to secure American power and “enduring preeminence,” the strategy calls for the United States to actively cultivate political resistance within European nations to counter the EU’s direction. It urges European governments to assume greater responsibility for their own defense and to open their markets more fully to American goods and services.

The strategy’s language signals a dramatic departure from traditional bipartisan support for a unified Europe. Instead, it expresses clear sympathy for nationalist parties across the continent, describing the rise of “patriotic European movements” — some now leading governments or major coalitions — as “a source of great optimism.” The document encourages these parties to champion what it calls a revival of “genuine democracy, freedom of expression, and unapologetic celebrations of national identity.”

In sections likely to provoke intense controversy, the strategy echoes themes associated with the “great replacement” conspiracy theory, suggesting that “within a few decades, some European NATO members will become majority non-European.” It asserts that Europe must “remain European,” regain “civilizational self-confidence,” and abandon what it terms regulatory overreach.

The document also faults Europe’s approach to Russia, criticizing leaders for treating Moscow as an existential threat while allegedly suppressing political opposition at home. It contends that most Europeans want an immediate peace deal in Ukraine — a deal that would almost certainly grant Russia territorial advantage — but that “minority governments” are blocking such an outcome. The strategy aligns with public comments from U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance, who earlier accused EU leaders of stifling free speech and failing to manage migration.

Still, the strategy concedes Europe’s strategic value, citing trade as a pillar of global stability and acknowledging that the United States “needs a strong Europe” to prevent adversaries from dominating the region.

The release of the document comes as Europe confronts a rise in far-right extremism. This week, Spanish authorities arrested three alleged members of The Base, a U.S.-origin neo-Nazi paramilitary group whose leader, Rinaldo Nazzaro, resides in Russia. Evidence seized included weapons, cash, and propaganda supporting efforts to build white ethnostates, including in Ukraine’s Zakarpattia region. Analysts warn that the group’s expanded operations mirror patterns previously seen in the United States, where members progressed from online radicalization to paramilitary training.

European investigators have declined to comment on possible connections between the Spanish cell and Russian intelligence, though experts note a troubling overlap between extremist recruitment networks and Kremlin-linked sabotage operations.

Against this backdrop, the Trump strategy’s endorsement of nationalism — and its warnings of civilizational collapse — have raised fears among diplomats and security officials that Washington may be preparing to pivot sharply toward Europe’s far-right movements, reshaping transatlantic relations in ways without precedent since the Second World War.