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Why Europe’s far-right parties might not love Trump back
The section on Europe in the Trump administration’s new national security strategy, entitled “Promoting European Greatness,” reads like a manifesto from the continent’s far-right parties.
Europe is on a path to becoming “unrecognizable” because of mass immigration, the Trump administration says. Its elites are censoring free speech and oppressing the political opposition. In an interview yesterday, President Trump said that Europe was weak and that its nations [were “decaying](https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/09/us/politics/trump-europe-decaying-weak-u…
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Credit...Tierney L. Cross/The New York Times
Why Europe’s far-right parties might not love Trump back
The section on Europe in the Trump administration’s new national security strategy, entitled “Promoting European Greatness,” reads like a manifesto from the continent’s far-right parties.
Europe is on a path to becoming “unrecognizable” because of mass immigration, the Trump administration says. Its elites are censoring free speech and oppressing the political opposition. In an interview yesterday, President Trump said that Europe was weak and that its nations were “decaying.”
The security strategy — a summary of the U.S. president’s foreign policy priorities — argues that the U.S. should “cultivate resistance to Europe’s current trajectory” by supporting “patriotic” parties that fight immigration.
The document caused no shortage of outrage in Europe. The United States is interfering in the continent’s internal affairs, many mainstream politicians said, violating the very sovereignty it professes to support.
But Europe’s far-right parties — the ones ostensibly being supported — have been notably quiet. Few have spoken out publicly in support of the document so far.
There’s one thing these parties have learned from Trump’s second term: It’s not always easy to square “America First” with “Germany First,” or “France First.”
‘A bad thing for Europeans’
When Trump was first elected in 2016, champagne corks popped in far-right parties’ headquarters across Europe. His victory was taken as proof that their time had come.
But nearly a decade on, the reality of his agenda has been more complicated.
In May, shortly after Trump announced tariffs** **on many countries, the European Council on Foreign Relations asked Europeans, including far-right voters, whether Trump’s election was a good or bad thing for their countries.
In Germany, only 20 percent of voters who support the far-right AfD said Trump was good for their country; 47 percent said he was bad. In France, among voters of the National Rally, the split was 18 to 43 percent. British voters who support Reform U.K. were more balanced: Thirty percent said he was good and 31 percent said he was bad.
Mark Leonard, the director of the E.C.F.R., told me Trump’s aggressive and chaotic tariff policies were deeply unpopular in Europe, not least among the working-class voters that the far-right parties were courting. Trump’s brand now carries serious risks.
Alice Weidel, the co-leader of the AfD, has called Trump’s tariff policies “extremely bad” and said Germany was “disproportionally affected” by them.
Jordan Bardella, Marine Le Pen’s protégé and the president of the National Rally, has been even more forceful. He accused the U.S. of “economic warfare.” Trump, he said earlier this year, “is a good thing for Americans, but a bad thing for Europeans.”
Zero-sum competition
“America First” presents a conundrum for Europe’s far-right parties. As Leonard put it: “They’re not about America first, they’re about Germany first, about France first, about Britain first. There’s an inherent tension.”
These parties largely align with Trump ideologically — that part is easy. But agreeing on immigration policies and being anti-woke can go only so far, Leonard said. It cannot make up for a very real divergence on core national interests such as trade and national security.
There is a limit to alliances among nationalist parties, when part of that nationalism involves seeing the world as a zero-sum competition.
That wasn’t such a problem when far-right parties could jointly cast themselves as anti-establishment. But now that they’re aligned with the leader of the most powerful country in the world, whose decisions are affecting their countries, they’re being called on to explain what they think about his policies, Leonard said. And that isn’t always straightforward.
Which raises an intriguing question: If the parties claiming the mantle of “my country first” gained power, would they actually stand up to Donald Trump?
There have been some flickers of this: In France, Bardella called on Europe to retaliate against Trump’s tariffs. When the E.U. instead cut a deal with Trump, Weidel lamented Brussels’ unwillingness to stand up to him. “The tariff ‘deal’ on American terms is a damning indictment of the E.U.,” she said.
Seen from one angle, this was the leader of a far-right party complaining about the European Union — standard fare. Seen from another, it’s perhaps a glimpse at a future in which Trump’s supposed allies in Europe could actually make implementing his agenda harder.
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Staying informed and not overwhelmed in 2026
What a year of news it has been. Donald Trump returned to the White House, the wars in Ukraine and Gaza raged, Israel attacked Iran and artificial intelligence was seemingly everywhere.
Now, as we’re looking ahead to the new year, we want to hear from you. How do you cope with all the news? Do you have tips for staying informed about world events? How do you avoid becoming swamped or distraught?
To share your thoughts, fill out this form. We plan to share tips from our readers in a special year-end edition of this newsletter.
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Why Some Teenagers Are Against Australia’s Social Media Ban
Australia has imposed one of the world’s most comprehensive measures banning social media for children under 16. This is what several young Australian teens think about the ban, which takes effect on Wednesday.
Australia’s social media ban goes into effect
Hundreds of thousands of social media accounts held by teens and children under 16 are set to be deactivated under a sweeping new law that took effect today in Australia. (My colleague Natasha Singer wrote about this on Friday.)
The law will be closely watched by parents, researchers and government officials around the world. But some teenagers told my colleague Victoria Kim that they would circumvent the ban through the use of VPNs. Many fudged their ages when they first signed up, and others have used their parents’ information to get accounts, or have older siblings whose identities they can co-opt. Two 15-year-olds are challenging the ban in court.
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The Trump administration will allow Nvidia to sell its second-most-powerful chip to China.
After several deadly military clashes, Afghanistan and Pakistan are now in a trade war.
Lithuania declared a national emergency after fending off suspicious balloons sent from neighboring Belarus.
Brigitte Macron, the first lady of France, was caught on video using a slur to criticize protesters.
Honduras issued an international arrest warrant for former President Juan Orlando Hernández, who was recently pardoned by Trump.
Nnena Kalu, an artist who is autistic and learning disabled, won the prestigious Turner Prize for her brightly colored cocoon-like sculptures.
Iain Douglas-Hamilton, an expert on elephants who was one of the first to study their intricate social behavior in the wild, died at 83.
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**Football: **Is Arne Slot’s future at Liverpool in danger?
**Formula 1: **Lando Norris is taking Max Verstappen’s racing number in 2026.
FRUIT OF THE DAY
“Just thousands of bananas.”
— Sixteen containers full of soggy bananas, plantains and avocados washed ashore* near a town on the coast of England, after a ship spilled its cargo last weekend.*
MORNING READ
Video
Love Letters From a Chinese Jail
The torn pieces of paper by Gao Zhen, a renowned artist jailed in China, show family portraits, memories of New York and expressions of faith. To his wife, they are love letters.CreditCredit...Andrea Verdelli for The New York Times
The pictures were carefully torn by hand from sheets of letter paper, crafted by her jailed husband at night when he couldn’t sleep.
Gao Zhen is part of a generation of avant-garde Chinese artists who achieved international fame in the 2000s. He moved to the U.S. in 2022 but was detained last year at his studio on the outskirts of Beijing, as he visited China with his family.
From jail, Gao has sent hand-torn pictures — a version of the traditional folk art of Chinese paper cutting, or jianzhi* — to his wife, Zhao Yaliang. The pictures range from abstract family portraits to depictions of life in jail to expressions of his Christian faith. To his wife, they are love letters. **Read more***.**
AROUND THE WORLD
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Credit...Woohae Cho for The New York Times
Where seniors are hanging out in … South Korea
For cinephiles, Seoul’s Hollywood Classic cinema is a place to catch long-forgotten movies. For nostalgia-seekers, it’s a well-furnished museum of postwar life. But much of the older clientele just comes to hang out.
Years of falling fertility rates have turned South Korea into one of the fastest-aging societies in the world. Last year, for the first time, citizens in their 70s outnumbered those in their 20s. But older residents have scant options for leisure, and many experience high degrees of social isolation.
“A lot of people just come and sleep in their seats because they have nowhere better to be,” said Kim Woo-bon, an 81-year-old patron. “Then they wake up and watch for a bit and then doze off again.” Read more****.
REPORTER RECOMMENDATIONS
Rio de Janeiro
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Credit...Dado Galdieri for The New York Times
Most visitors flock to Rio’s postcard beaches, but there is much more to explore in this vibrant city. Ana Ionova, our contributor, shared her favorite spots.
Explore Rua do Senado, a lively street in Rio’s historic center lined with bars, restaurants, galleries and quirky antique shops. Check out the exhibitions at Solar dos Abacaxis, and then head to Labuta, a bar where icy beers and bar snacks are served curbside. Samba sessions take over the street on weekend afternoons.
**Shop **at Feira Livre da Glória Market, a colorful Sunday fair. It’s got souvenirs, handicrafts and vintage vinyl of Brazil’s most iconic musical acts. It’s also a great spot to sample fresh fruit and local snacks like pastel, washed down with fresh sugar cane juice.
Hike in Tijuca National Park for a nature escape from the bustle of the city. After being cleared for coffee and sugar cane plantations, this vast stretch of Atlantic forest in the middle of Rio was restored in the 19th century. Today, it offers more than 150 kilometers of trails to explore, many of them leading to cascading waterfalls and stunning views.
RECIPE
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Credit...Johnny Miller for The New York Times
This egg sandwich is a reimagining of Turkish çilbir, a breakfast dish made with poached eggs, garlicky yogurt and smoky, chile-infused melted butter. Here, those bold flavors appear in the tangy, yogurt-based dressing that coats jammy boiled eggs.
WHERE IS THIS?
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Credit...Pat Kane for The New York Times
Katrin Bennhold is the host of The World, the flagship global newsletter of The New York Times.
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