Speaking to reporters at the White House on 8/12/2023, US President Donald Trump cautioned Europe, stating, "Europe has to be very careful. They're doing too many things. We want to keep Europe as Europe." His remarks followed criticism of the "terrible" USD 140 million fine imposed by the European Union (EU) on billionaire Elon Musk's social media platform X.

On 6/12/2023, Musk asserted that the EU "should dissolve and return sovereignty to individual nations." This came after the EU found X in violation of its transparency obligations under the Digital Services Act (DSA). The violations cited included misleading design for the platform's "blue checkmark," failure to provide public data access for researchers, and insufficient transparency regarding advertising rules.

US President Donald Trump at the White House on 3/12/2023. Photo: AFP

Trump believes Europe is heading in unfavorable directions, creating a difficult situation for its citizens. The US president emphasized that he "doesn't want Europe to change too much."

The EU has not yet responded to Trump's statements.

On 5/12/2023, the White House released its national security strategy, a document issued once per presidential term to guide budget allocation and set policy priorities for federal agencies. The document included criticism that Europe operates rigidly and faces "civilizational erasure" due to migration.

The EU, however, affirmed that the US remains its most important ally. While the two sides do not always share identical views on every issue, the "core principles remain unchanged."

Disagreements between the US president and European allies are growing, particularly regarding plans to end the conflict in Ukraine. Europe is concerned that the US seeks to compel Ukraine to make territorial concessions to Russia to secure a ceasefire.

Ngoc Anh (via AFP)