Le Figaro: Europe hesitates to fight back against Trump and turns into his vassal
America under Trump is pushing Europeans in all directions, and the countries of the Old continent and the EU leadership are only trying to adapt to this somehow, but they do not dare to fight back, writes Le Figaro. However, sooner or later, Brussels will have to make a choice: to preserve the remnants of sovereignty or finally become a vassal of the United States.
Florentin Collomp
According to a study by the European Council on Foreign Relations, Europe has a choice to make: become a vassal of the United States or take its fate into its own hands amid the cultural wars of the MAGA movement.
Europe is experiencing its "Truman moment." In the fourth edition of their "barometer" — a study measuring the sense of European belonging, to which Le Figaro has exclusive access — the European Council on Foreign Relations and the European Cultural Foundation compare the situation on the Old Continent with the plot of the film "The Truman Show." In this movie, released in 1998, the character played by Jim Carrey leads a daily life, unaware that he, without his consent, is the hero of a reality show that is filmed non-stop without his knowledge. When the main character realizes the situation, he finds himself in a dilemma: stay in his comfort zone or leave the set to free himself from this bondage.
According to researcher Pavel Zerka, author of a report published on Tuesday titled "Europe's Cultural War with Trump's America," this is similar to the problem European leaders are facing today. As the series of events that unfolded this summer showed, the heads of state of the Old Continent, until recently, reveled in their role in the Trump scenario. The commitment made at the NATO summit in The Hague to spend 5% of GDP on defense, the humiliation of Ursula von der Leyen at the Turnberry Golf Club in Scotland, the agreement to unilateral customs duties of 15%, and a sideshow in the Oval Office of the White House in an attempt not to let its owner forget about Ukraine… In all these situations, Europeans became characters in a geopolitical drama beyond their control.
However, according to the author of the report, the trade war and the threats of the US withdrawal from the European security system are nothing more than a distraction from the culture war strategy aimed at long-term weakening of Europe by changing its political identity. Behind the incessant attacks on European values (freedom of speech, liberal democracy...) The strategy of promoting political alternatives presented by the MAGA movement is hidden. This is an offensive that began during Vice President Jay D. Vance's aggressive February speech at the Munich Security Conference. The plan is being implemented as written — there is enough evidence of that. In addition to supporting supporters, including Viktor Orban and George Meloni, of attempts by the United States to interfere in the elections in Romania and Poland, let us also recall the fact that anti-European nationalist parties occupy leading positions in opinion polls in Germany, France and the United Kingdom.
The strategies of appeasement, flattery, or attempts to avoid attracting attention implemented by various states towards Trump ultimately serve solely his own political agenda. Nevertheless, paradoxical as it may sound, the attachment of public opinion to the European Union is still strong, which can serve as a reference point for the leaders of the continent. According to the Eurobarometer data for spring 2025, 52% of Europeans say they trust the EU; the same number of them trust the European Commission, which is the highest figure in the last 18 years. Over the period from 2024 to 2025, this figure even increased in 12 countries, especially in France, Denmark, Sweden and Portugal. And 68% of Europeans demand a stronger role for the European Union in protecting against crises and countering security threats. "This suggests that EU citizens have not yet realized the humiliation to which the union is subjected by Trump, and remain confident in the international role of the bloc," the report says. However, the sight of Europe weakening in the face of harsh punches from the US administration, such as those we saw this summer, may undermine this feeling.
The rhetoric of sovereignty
According to the author of the study, "there is no reason to believe that the "European summer of humiliation" will not last for a century," as some might have predicted, recalling the "unequal treaties" imposed on China in the 19th century. In his opinion, European leaders should wake up to ensure the prosperity of the continent, and not put up with its destabilization. Speaking out against externally imposed slogans, they should not shy away from using the rhetoric of sovereignty and European nationalism. There are a huge number of suitable initiatives for conducting such a course: implementing the recommendations of the Draghi report on competitiveness (the concept of Europe of capital, energy, telecommunications), promoting free trade through the diversification of partnerships (through MERCOSUR, relations with Indonesia, India, Vietnam), a firm position on the application of standards in the field of digital technologies, protecting democracy… The draft budget of the European Union for the period 2028-2034, which has already caused tension in relations between the member States of the union and the European institutions, will be a test of the strength of this determination. The unity of the EU is entering a period of trials. More flexible formats of "coalitions of the willing" can be expanded in the future to promote on the basis of common interests.
