Trump’s Security Strategy Warns of Europe’s Decline and Claims the Americas

The White House released the first national security strategy of President Donald Trump’s second term on Friday, a document federal law requires, laying out a view of the world built around what it calls “America First.” The strategy says U.S. choices are “motivated above all by what works for America,” according to The Associated Press. It reflects a break from the approach of the Biden administration and favors nonintervention overseas, the AP reported.

Its sharpest language is about Europe. The strategy describes allies weakened by migration policy, falling birth rates and censorship of free speech and suppression of political opposition, warns of a “prospect of civilizational erasure” and says the continent could be “unrecognizable in 20 years or less” if present trends continue. It questions whether some European countries will have strong enough economies and militaries to remain reliable allies, and it says the growing influence of “patriotic European parties” gives “cause for great optimism,” the AP reported.

Closer to home, the document describes a “’Trump Corollary’ to the Monroe Doctrine” meant to “restore American preeminence in the Western Hemisphere.” It cites migration control and the fight against drug cartels and endorses “the use of lethal force to replace the failed law enforcement-only strategy,” according to the AP. That language matches the recent U.S. strikes on alleged drug boats and the possibility of military action against Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, the AP noted.

On Russia, the strategy describes ending the war in Ukraine as in “America’s vital interests” and aims to “reestablish strategic stability with Russia.” On China, it seeks to “rebalance” the relationship and also addresses Taiwan. “Our allies must step up and spend,” the strategy says, “and more importantly do, much more for collective defense.”

In the Middle East, the document says the United States should abandon “America’s misguided experiment with hectoring” governments in the region about how they are run. “We should encourage and applaud reform when and where it emerges organically, without trying to impose it,” it says. The AP reported that the document plans to shift Washington’s focus away from the region.

Reaction split along familiar lines. Rep. Jason Crow, a Colorado Democrat, called the strategy “catastrophic to America’s standing in the world and a retreat from our alliances and partnerships,” saying it would make the world more dangerous and Americans less safe. In Berlin, Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul called the United States Germany’s “most important ally” in NATO but rejected American commentary on free expression and how free societies are organized. Markus Frohnmaier of the far-right Alternative for Germany called the strategy “a foreign policy reality check for Europe and particularly for Germany.”

The document’s language on the Americas arrives as the U.S. military buildup off Venezuela continues.