I’m taking a European Union course while studying abroad at Lorenzo de Medici in Florence, Italy, that has opened my eyes to the importance of public opinion, especially as Trump leverages tariffs against almost every country (even islands that don’t even have humans living on them?).
Four in 10 Europeans say the U.S. president “acts like a dictator,” more than half of Europeans believe that Trump is an enemy of Europe, and 63 percent believe that Trump’s election makes the world less safe.
If you think Europeans just don’t like America, you would be mistaken, as in a similar poll, across 34 European nations surveyed, a median of 43% had confidence in Biden to do the right thing regarding world affairs, while just 28% had confidence in Trump when asked the same question.
Studying abroad has shown me how little faith Europeans have in Trump’s politics and policies. Although Biden still doesn’t instill confidence in most Europeans, Europeans’ public opinion on his actions maintains a much higher status.
But what irks me the most is Trump’s incapacity to understand simple global politics – and worse, its history. If you’re unaware, the European Union was largely forged by the U.S.’s Marshall Plan, which encouraged European integration to prevent the spread of communism and promote peace in Europe following World War II.
The U.S. provided $13 billion across all the countries that cooperated, leading to the European Coal and Steel Community in 1952 (which made future war between France and Germany seemingly unthinkable), and later culminating in the European Economic Community (EEC), also known as the Common Market, which was established in 1957.
All of these treaties and collaborations between European countries eventually led to the EU, something that America was instrumental in creating. But if you asked Trump, he would say, “the European Union was formed in order to screw the United States,” not that the U.S. helped build the EU to what it is today.
Trump doesn’t attempt to hide his “America first” policies – in fact, he constantly flaunts these policies that are hurting Americans.
The stock market is dropping – my stocks in particular have taken a massive hit, grocery prices are much higher today than before he was in office, and I’d reckon much of this is because of the tariff war that is currently happening between the U.S. and EU, two of the largest trading superpowers in the global market.
Not only do these tariffs directly affect Americans by raising the cost of living, but this unilateral approach to trade is breaking apart the previously strong ties between the U.S. and European countries.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the EU plans to “build bridges” with other countries that “care about fair and rules-based trade.”
This statement likely means reducing trade between the EU and the U.S., which will prove detrimental to America’s global influence and, from an economic perspective, hurt both companies and individual Americans.
In 2024, the United States was the largest partner for EU exports of goods, and the second largest partner for EU imports of goods; now imagine if those trade margins were sliced in half and the impact it would have globally.
Outside of trade, the U.S. has been shattering European trust since Trump’s first term, pulling out of mutually beneficial programs such as the Paris Climate Agreement and the Iran Nuclear Deal, which other European allies invested significant time and capital into forging.
Yes, the EU has stricter regulations, but for important reasons. Since 1990, the EU has reduced 31% in carbon emissions, while still gradually raising its GDP and continuing to lower emissions of greenhouse gases. The U.S., on the other hand? It’s only decreased carbon emissions by 3% within that same period.
By repeatedly alienating the EU — one of the world’s major regional organizations — Trump is undermining the United States’ credibility in tackling global challenges such as climate change, terrorism, and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
I won’t even touch on the fact that Trump is threatening academic and scientific research that could help the entire world, and defunding diplomatic-building programs, such as the Fulbright program.
We are only in the first months of Trump’s presidency, and I am fearful of what he will do next every time I check the news. Depending on who is in charge in the next election, it will take years to rebuild the relationship with this valuable ally and the transatlantic trade partnership.
