German Populists Criticize US Foreign Policy Under Trump

Germany's far-right Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) party was unsettled by US and Israeli bombing of Iran in the summer of 2025. The party was further rattled by US military action against Venezuela on January 3 of this year. It was the Trump administration's "bullying of Europe over Danish territory Greenland" that most clearly provoked the AfD's leadership.

AfD co-chair Alice Weidel complained that the Trump administration broke its pledge to avoid interfering in other countries' affairs. Her co-chair Tino Chrupalla denounced American "Wild West methods."

European Populist Reactions

The Greenland issue resonated with right-wing populist parties across Europe. In France, National Rally leader Jordan Bardella said Europe must respond and suggested a reconsideration of the 2025 Turnberry agreement on US-EU trade. Britain's Nigel Farage questioned whether Trump's threats were a bluff. A statement from Farage's Reform UK party said using economic threats against a century-old closest ally was unexpected.

Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, seen as close to Trump, offered only mild criticism. Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis shared an online map highlighting Greenland's proximity to Russia, commenting that US interest in the territory was long-term, not only a Trump initiative.

A wrinkle emerged from Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, a Trump ally. He reportedly told EU leaders that a recent meeting with Trump alarmed him due to the US president's state of mind, which he described as "dangerous." Fico later denied making these comments, calling them "lies."## The Rise and Sources of Populism

The report traces the sources of populist discontent in Europe, with immigration topping voter concerns."Somewheres" with urban, internationalist, university-educated "Anywheres."Goodhart noted British nostalgia, citing a 2011 YouGov poll where 60 percent agreed Britain had changed beyond recognition and sometimes felt like a foreign country."collecting bowl"for disaffected conservatives worried about Germany's economy and rapid social change."I'm no Nazi." He expressed frustration, wanting his daughter to learn traditional German folk songs in school instead of American pop music, and conceded unease over the influx of foreigners, recalling an apartment building in West Germany where the door buzzer listed "foreign names."

The Left-Wing Challenge

There were signs of energetic populism on the European left before the COVID-19 pandemic, with Germany's Sahra Wagenknecht as a key figure. She helped establish the left-wing movement Aufstehen in 2018 and formed her own party, the Alliance Sahra Wagenknecht (BSW), in October 2023. The party fused workers' rights with socialist economics and anti-immigration sentiment, adopting a pro-Russian and anti-American foreign policy.

The report draws parallels to the 2016 US primaries, where Trump and Bernie Sanders both ran against elites. However, time showed left-wing populists were no match for their right-wing counterparts in Europe. Wagenknecht's party faltered and last year failed to clear the 5 percent threshold to win seats in the Bundestag.