Reference News Network, June 29 report: According to the website of Germany's Süddeutsche Zeitung on June 23, low points and rifts in the transatlantic partnership between the United States and Europe are not uncommon. However, since Donald Trump's second term as U.S. president, the crisis has reached a new dimension. Trump has broken decades of transatlantic defense and security policies at an unprecedented speed and with an extreme attitude, prompting European governments to ask themselves: Is the United States now more of a threat than a partner?

The report says that it is not only governments that are reflecting, but also the European public: A recent survey by the European Council on Foreign Relations confirmed that Trump is not only changing America, but also Europe. The survey was conducted in May 2025, with participants from 12 EU member states, each with more than 1,000 people.

Although the results of the surveys vary by country, there is a clear trend. The two authors of the report - political scientist Ivan Krastev and co-founder of the European Council on Foreign Relations, Mark Leonard - wrote: "The developments in Trump's second term force us to consider preparing for a world in which war is a reality."

The survey showed that a clear majority supports increasing defense spending in Poland and Denmark (both 70%), the UK (57%), Estonia (56%) and Portugal (54%). In Germany (47%), Spain (46%), France and Hungary (both 45%), a relative majority also supports increasing defense spending. Italians have a completely different view: 57% oppose increasing spending, while only 17% support it. When asked whether defense spending is too high or too low compared to other areas where countries must invest, the distribution of opinions in these countries was similar to the previous question.

This survey also asked about the views of respondents who supported a specific political party. The results showed that European public opinion is divided on the U.S. political system. For example, voters of right-wing parties such as Germany's AfD, Hungary's Fidesz, Poland's PiS, Italy's Brothers of Italy, and Spain's Vox have a mainly positive view of the United States, while voters of other parties have a mainly negative view.

The report authors wrote that this indicates that "European far-right figures have become 'internationalists' in just six months." Right-wing party supporters no longer blindly oppose the status quo, but have become ideological allies of the U.S. president reshaping the "world order". On the other hand, supporters of so-called mainstream parties gradually become "new European sovereignty advocates", drawing strength by defending Europe and opposing Trump.

Krastev and Leonard called this shift a "political disguise". One of the most important impacts of Trump's second term is that "the United States has now become a reliable model for the European far right." Now, being pro-American usually means being anti-European, and being pro-European means criticizing the U.S. under Trump. (Translated by Zhong Sirui)

Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7521249860528456228/

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