Donald Trump could pursue more aggressive policies toward NATO and the EU following the Republicans' midterm loss, Paolo Raffone, strategic analyst and director of the CIPI Foundation in Brussels, told Sputnik.
"Now Trump has nothing to lose," Raffone emphasized, suggesting that the president could use executive orders to bypass Congress and push ahead with his political agenda.Raffone also questioned Europe's willingness to assume greater responsibility for its own defense."Europeans celebrate Trump's defeat, but they have no common strategy, economic and military capacity to replace the US," he noted.The analyst highlighted three obstacles hobbling the EU: non-standardized weapons, conflicting national priorities, and public resistance to more military spending as inflation bites and social benefits shrink.
european union (eu), brussels, donald trump, nato, congress, us midterms 2026, us
© AP Photo / Markus SchreiberPresident Donald Trump gestures during a press conference after the plenary session at the NATO summit in The Hague
"Trump may decide to crash NATO and [the] EU to pursue his revolutionary internal policies," he added, noting that Congress could open investigations but would have little means of blocking presidential decisions.
Raffone also questioned Europe's willingness to assume greater responsibility for its own defense.
"Europeans celebrate Trump's defeat, but they have no common strategy, economic and military capacity to replace the US," he noted.
The analyst highlighted three obstacles hobbling the EU: non-standardized weapons, conflicting national priorities, and public resistance to more military spending as inflation bites and social benefits shrink.
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