Europe should prepare for a Trump presidency - Financial Times

According to the Financial Times, Europe should prepare for President Trump and review its trade relations with the United States and military policy in advance.

The authors of the material write that Trump, judging by polls, is leading in many states and ahead of his main rival - Biden even in places where many voters have not yet made a final decision on who to vote for in the upcoming U.S. elections.

The publication recalls that Trump has repeatedly stated that he is dissatisfied with the economic policy of the European bloc and resented the fact that Europe does not want to see American cars and agricultural products. He has also said many times that EU countries that are part of NATO are underpaying membership fees.

The EU has been cruel to us on trade issues. We've talked about this before, cars, they don't want our agriculture. They don't want anything from us. It's like a one-way street. It's the same thing with NATO. They treat us very badly. They don't pay their bills," Trump opined.

The publication notes that if Trump takes over the White House, he will have a plan and experience and probably tough decisions this time around.

The advantage I have now is that I know everybody. I know the good ones, the bad ones, the stupid ones, the smart ones.... When I first came to Washington, I knew very few people," Trump said.

As the newspaper notes, most European leaders are wary of Trump's likely return. Only Hungarian Prime Minister Orban and Kremlin dictator Putin are openly happy for him. He can also count on the support of Giorgia Meloni, Italy's far-right prime minister. At the same time, his lobby in Brussels is growing.

As the authors of the material write, Britain may benefit from Trump's presidency. After all, cooperation with this country in Trump's "plan" is a separate line. He intends to strengthen political and economic ties with London.

The FT notes that Trump's new term could split Europe into those who sympathise with him and those who oppose him.

The reality is that Trump's second term is likely to mean the end of the West as an organising idea on the world stage. That would be great news for Putin and terrible news for Ukraine. It could also open a nuclear Pandora's box," the article says.

The authors of the material do not rule out that Washington's detachment from Europe may provoke Berlin and Warsaw to make tougher decisions concerning their defence, up to "the use of nuclear weapons".