Faced with Donald Trump and Elon Musk, Europe will have to resist being dizzy

Donald Trump is not yet installed in the White House and he is already making his head spin. His sweeping declarations on the annexation of Greenland or the Panama Canal reinforce his image as an unpredictable and taboo-free man. His extroverted communication strategy is also duplicated by members of his entourage, such as Elon Musk. In the flood of messages broadcast on social networks, the targets follow one another – German Chancellor Olaf Scholz or British Prime Minister Keir Starmer. Conflicting messages are delivered within hours of each other: Donald Trump promised severe trade measures against China before inviting President Xi Jinping to his inauguration ceremony.

This swirling communication is deliberate. It aims to destabilize the United States’ interlocutors to increase the possibilities of gaining an advantage. Because, no, Donald Trump is not irrational. He was elected by establishing himself in the American electorate as the spokesperson for a revanchist challenge to the political and financial establishment, and as the slayer of an international order based on free trade which has disadvantaged many large parts of his country’s economy. Once in power, he will act very quickly on the two subjects that allowed him to win: purchasing power and immigration. As for international relations, its priorities are clear: maintain the pre-eminence of the United States; contain China; loosen the constraints of political-military alliances – notably NATO; and develop pro-hydrocarbon diplomacy, which should lead to re-engagement in the Middle East.

And Europe? Donald Trump wants to reduce it to a land of opportunity for American interests. If it wants to resist, it will have to close ranks and organize itself to control the future of our continent.