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On the very day Donald Trump received a tailor-made "award for peace" from his newest ally, FIFA president "Johnny" Infantino, his administration released an equally flamboyant security policy document. This relatively brief report is saturated with the essence of Trump and Trumpism. It begins with the characteristically modest claim that the president has brought back "our nation – and the world – back from the brink of catastrophe and disaster."

Even though the document largely formalizes the ongoing policies and statements of Trump and his team, it must be heeded as a serious warning for the international community, and for the European continent in particular.

A Strategy of Intervention and Civilizational Anxiety

The document advocates for an assertive form of foreign-policy interference where the US explicitly sets the goal of "fostering European strength." Its rhetoric could have been lifted directly from speeches by Viktor Orbán during the so-called migration emergency of 2015-16: "We want Europe to remain European, to regain its cultural self-confidence." Even more ominously, the document claims that Europe's "economic decline is overshadowed by the real and more stark prospect of civilizational erasure."

The whole section dedicated to Europe is imbued with decades of European far-right dogma and propaganda. The EU and its migration policies are blamed for "changing the continent and creating conflict, censorship of free speech and suppression of political opposition, plummeting birthrates, and loss of sovereign identity and self-belief." According to the document, if "current trajectories continue, the continent will be unrecognizable in 20 years or less. As such, it is not at all clear whether some European countries will have economic power and militaries strong enough to be dependable allies." Indeed, the Trump administration believes that "in a matter of years at the latest, certain NATO members will become majority non-European."

"American diplomacy should continue to stand up for genuine democracy, free speech, and unapologetic celebrations of European nations’ individual character and past."

Foundational Theories of the Far Right

These points carry powerful echoes of two theories seen as core for contemporary right-wing circles. The first is Oswald Spengler's "Der Untergang des Abendlandes," whose argument on the cyclical decline of civilizations was used by the German far right to attack the "perversion" and "weakness" 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 explicit conspiratorial narrative, alleging European elites of using immigration to substitute restive "indigenous" populations and bring in a more docile and reliant electorate.

It is the nativist fever dream contained in both ideas that gives the Trump administration the right, if not the obligation, to intervene in European affairs, the document implies. And it is evident where it identifies its allies: "America urges its ideological partners in Europe to promote this resurgence of national spirit, and the growing influence of nationalist European parties in fact gives cause for significant hope."

The Objective: "Restore European Greatness"

Put simply, the US contends that it is key to its national security to "Make Europe great again," and that the European far right is the only political force that can accomplish this. Consequently, its "overarching strategy for Europe" focuses on "fostering resistance to Europe’s present path within European nations" – meaning the far right – and "strengthening the robust nations of central, eastern, and southern Europe" – in particular "nations in agreement that want to restore their former greatness" – a clear reference to Hungary and Italy.

While the document remains vague on methods, it is obvious that a key aim is to push Europe to adopt a sweeping policy on freedom of speech, more aligned with the US model – particularly regarding far-right speech – and not just on social media. Another is to normalize relations with Russia; or, as the document phrases it, to "restore strategic stability with Russia." Although the country is not directly called a future ally, the Trump administration evidently does not treat Russia as an adversary either.

An Ideological Blueprint: The Monroe Doctrine

In a wider context, the national security strategy takes its inspiration less from the idealized US of the 1950s and more from the 1823 policy of 1823. Proclaimed by President James Monroe, this warned European powers not to meddle in the "western hemisphere," which he proclaimed 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 "recruiting" countries worldwide that wish to help safeguard US national interests.

This is necessarily new – recall JD Vance’s address at the 2025 Munich Security Conference, where the vice-president unleashed an assault on Europe’s democratic model. But perhaps now that it is published in an official document, European leaders will finally realize that the stance is serious. And if the document is too long or vague for them, it can be condensed in plain and succinct terms: the current US government believes that its national security is most enhanced by the demise of liberal democracy in Europe. In other words, the US is not only an reluctant ally; it is a willing adversary. It is time to respond accordingly.