When Joe Biden confirmed he will run for reelection this week, America’s European allies knew exactly what that meant for the future of the transatlantic relationship.
It’s no secret that as news broke that Biden won the presidency in 2020, leaders across the pond were relieved that a more conventional democratic leader would be in the White House.
But they also knew that Biden would not be able to undo all the damage done in Donald Trump’s four years.
Trump was a chaotic leader who repeatedly criticized America’s European allies. He threatened trade wars on everything from cheese to airplanes. He questioned the principles of the NATO alliance and sniped at the European Union, at one point saying that if he ran the UK he simply wouldn’t pay the £50 billion ($62 billion) Brexit bill that Britain legally owed the EU.
There are two main reasons why Europeans haven’t entirely moved on from the Trump years. First, if Trump could happen once, there is no reason he or someone in his mold won’t happen again. Second, Biden, Europeans believe, has continued much of Trump’s foreign policy of protectionism on trade and maximum pressure on China.
These two realities will influence the European approach to America and its place in the world order for at least the next decade.
When you speak to European diplomats and officials, the word “trust” comes up often. Trust not just in the intentions of the US as an ally, but trust in American democracy.
“We look at what happened on January 6 and wonder if we can trust something similar or worse won’t happen again, collapsing the political system with it. We look at the divisions in the country and wonder if we can trust that the US won’t double down on its protectionist, America-first agenda,” a senior European diplomat told CNN. “We just cannot afford to be overly…
Read the full article here