Foreign allies to the United States might be preparing to "Trump-proof" their policies in the event that the former president is reelected in November, according to CNN host Christiane Amanpour on Saturday based on recent comments made by European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde.
Trump has long been the odds-on favorite to secure the 2024 GOP presidential nomination, despite his mounting legal woes, a fact cemented for many after he won the Iowa caucus with 51 percent of the vote on Monday. While the caucus has a recent history of not being predictive of who will secure the GOP nomination, many observers still feel that Trump's nomination is inevitable.
In hypothetical general election matchups between Trump and President Joe Biden, polls generally have the two neck-and-neck, with a few leaning towards the incumbent leader and some skewing for the former president.
During a speech before the World Economic Forum, Lagarde warned the attendees on Friday that the nations of Europe must be "strong at home" in preparation for a potential second Trump term, where the former president would likely again rein in American economic and political support of allies overseas.
"The best defense, if that's the way we want to look at it, is attack," Lagarde told the forum in Davos. "To attack properly, you need to be strong at home. Being strong means having a strong, deep market. Having a real single market."
In particular, Lagarde singled out the transition to green energy as an initiative in Europe that would not see support from the U.S. under a second Trump administration. Trump would also most likely make drastic cuts to the aid being provided to Ukraine in its ongoing fight against Russia.
Trump and his supporters have long decried such policies as not beneficial to the U.S. On Ukraine in particular, Trump has claimed that he would be able to end the conflict "quickly" if reelected, touting his relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin, though he has not explained the specific steps he would take. He and his supporters have also accused aid to Ukraine of needlessly prolonging the conflict.
Newsweek reached out to Trump's office via email on Saturday evening for comment.
Discussing Lagarde's comments on CNN on Saturday, Amanpour asked New York Times London bureau chief Mark Landler about the prospect of allies abroad working to "Trump-proof" their policies in the event of his reelection.
"Coming out and directly saying that Trump would pose a direct threat to the European continent and to the alliance if he was elected again," Amanpour said. "[Lagarde] specifically said just look at the trade tariffs. Look at the commitment to NATO [North Atlantic Treaty Organization]. Look at the fight against climate change. If only in these three areas in the past, American interests have not been aligned with European interests. And the commissioner of the EU says the U.S. is very concerned that Trump wouldn't come, because he said it, to the aid of any NATO nation that is invaded. Do you detect any Trump-proofing?"
On the topic, Landler said that the reaction from major foreign powers would likely come down to their own prevailing political stances. While many U.S. allies would likely need to take steps to protect their interests in the event of his reelection, Landler highlighted leaders like Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Putin, and even conservative British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak as ones who might be more empowered to pursue certain goals under a second Trump presidency.
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Thomas Kika is a Newsweek weekend reporter based in upstate New York. His focus is reporting on crime and national ... Read more
