With only a week left until the US election, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump’s potential presidency could reshape Europe’s relations with America in unexpected ways. Threats to withdraw from a series of international agreements, including the Paris Agreement and the Iran nuclear deal, as well as leaving NATO have stamped Trump’s presidency with uncertainty. Ahead of the possibility of the former president’s return, Europe is racing to make itself “Trump-proof.”

As the US presidential election on November 5 approaches, European Union (EU) countries are deciding on which policies to pursue if Republican leader Donald Trump wins the race. Trump has vowed to pursue certain goals if he becomes US president once again and his promises, no matter how outrageous, are causing concern abroad.

TRUMP’S OUTRAGEOUS PROMISES
The former president has sworn to negotiate with Russian President Vladimir Putin to end the war in Ukraine “within 24 hours,” demand Ukraine to repay billions of dollars in US aid, withdraw (again) from the Paris climate agreement, and impose high tariffs on foreigners. With a highly contentious US election expected on November 5, leaders on the other side of the Atlantic are taking action. Europe finds itself in a more vulnerable position than during Trump’s first term due to the continent’s return to war with Russia’s full-scale occupation of Ukraine by 2022.

TRUMP’S “AMERICA FIRST” APPROACH
Moreover, the former president has pledged to continue his isolationist “America First” approach in foreign policy, even planning a more extreme version he couldn’t implement in his first term. According to analysis, the second concern of EU countries is related to US and NATO relations. Trump, who threatened to leave NATO during his term from 2017 to 2021, signals that he will pursue such a policy if he comes to power in the country’s head once again. The US Congress passed a law last year requiring any decision to exit NATO to be approved by the Senate. Threats by Trump regarding NATO’s “golden rule” of mutual defense support among alliance members are causing serious concerns for EU countries.