America tops Trump’s running mate: ‘Big worry for Europe’

• Annabelle Van Kestel

  Teacher Online

Starring JD Vance Running mate US presidential candidate Donald Trump has chosen a loyal ally who will not budge from his own positions. The same applies to his views on foreign policy. Vance strongly supports Trump’s “America First” ideology and is a fierce critic of the European Union and pro-Ukraine. “This is a major concern for the Netherlands and Europe,” says American expert Kenneth Manusama.

What Trump’s return to the White House will mean for cooperation with Europe and NATO will become clearer. Trump’s selection of the 39-year-old Vance as his potential vice president is unconvincing to most European leaders. An anonymous EU official told a news site Politics Vance as vice president would be a “disaster” for Ukraine and therefore for Europe.

Within the Republican Party, Vance, currently a senator from Ohio, is one of the strongest proponents of isolationism, in other words: foreign policy low on the priority list. As a senator, he has been a constant critic of the European Union and NATO, and above all, he is a staunch opponent of aid to Ukraine.

For example, earlier this year he opposed a billion-dollar aid package for Ukraine. “The United States cannot continue to write blank checks. We do not have the manufacturing capacity to continue to support ground warfare in Eastern Europe,” Vance said at the time. He believes that Europe needs to get its own security in order and not depend on America.

US expert Kenneth Manusama says Vance’s statements on Ukraine and Europe fit perfectly into Trump’s ‘America First’ picture. “Proponents of that movement use a very narrow definition of the national interest. That definition really ends up with the economic interests of the American continent. The idea: We have to take care of ourselves first before we look abroad.”

Ideologically, Trump and Vance are on the same page, says Julie Carr Smith, a journalist at AP News who follows Vance as a politician. According to him, Vance caught Trump’s attention two years ago when he criticized US support for Ukraine as a senatorial candidate. “He belongs to a group of politicians who believe that the money going to Ukraine should be spent differently. For example, on strengthening the southern border.”

Like Trump, Vance has praised Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán in the past. Last September, Vance argued in a podcast that “de-woke-ficiation“Schools in his state, citing Orban as a source of inspiration, praised Orban’s ban on universities teaching about racism and sexism.

Within the EU, Orbán is losing more and more of his credibility. Last week, Hungarian Prime Minister Donald Trump met – after previously visiting President Putin and President Xi – as part of his self-proclaimed ‘peace mission’. This brought him severe criticism from European leaders. Today the European Commission decided to boycott Hungary’s EU presidency because of her one-man action.

On her social media, Orban shared pictures of Trump’s visit:

If Trump is elected, it’s hard to say what the friendship between Trump, Vance and Orbán will mean for relations between the US and Europe, says US expert Manusama. “Those three are kindred spirits. With the MAGA Movement (Make America Great AgainEd.) Trump wants to protect his country’s identity. He envisions an America with a predominantly white, male population. Orban has taken far-reaching measures, such as placing universities under state control, in an attempt to preserve that identity in Hungary. Vance is fascinated by it.”

Manusama says the question is how much influence Vance will be able to exert on policy as vice president if Trump is elected president in November. “It depends on the role that Trump gives him. The vice president has no formal powers, he can’t make decisions on his own.”

Manusama feels that Vance as Vice President can ensure that the MAGA ideology is even more strongly entrenched in American society. “Vance is only 40 years old when he takes his stand. He’s appealing to a new generation, so that movement can expand. It could have huge consequences for American foreign policy in the long run.”