Europeans Still Don’t Get How Different Trump’s Administration Will Be

European politicians at both the national level and at the European Union are hoping that the second Trump administration will be more “normal” than the first. 

Chances are that the norms of diplomacy will even less restrain it, which is good.

A great example is how European leaders are hoping that along with Trump’s inauguration will come some restraint from Elon Musk and other Trump allies. Musk, in particular, has decided to get involved in UK and German politics directly–committing to pouring money into Reform UK and loudly endorsing the AfD in Germany as the country’s last hope for salvation. 

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No 10 hope Marco Rubio, the incoming Secretary of State and Michael Waltz, the National Security Adviser who met McSweeney and Jonathan Powell last month, will rein Musk in

Story: https://t.co/RplMBtnEGn

— Politics UK (@PolitlcsUK) January 3, 2025

Musk’s influence goes far beyond the money he can deploy as the world’s richest man. In fact, I think the money is secondary to his influence on the political debate by highlighting issues that the Pravda Media chooses to downplay or ignore. Exhibit #1 is how he ignited a firestorm by highlighting the British Rape/’Grooming Gangs’ scandal that has been simmering for over a decade. 

Apparently, Number 10 and the Labour Party are hoping that Trump will rein in Musk as the co-chair of DOGE and hence a quasi-representative of the president. 

Once the Trump court leaves Mar-a-Lago for the White House later this month, can Musk really run a freelance foreign policy and keep his place in the kitchen cabinet? Some in Starmer’s inner circle hope not. “He can’t sustain active support for AfD and Reform and be a member of the administration after January 20. He’s in effect declaring war on the main US allies in Europe.”

Starmer’s praetorian guard are investing their hopes in the deep state as well as big tech. They hope Marco Rubio, the incoming secretary of state, Scott Bessent, soon to take control at the Treasury, and Michael Waltz, the national security adviser who met McSweeney and Jonathan Powell, the UK national security adviser, last month, will lay down the law and rein Musk in. On this week’s evidence, it may already be too late.

I don’t expect that to happen for a couple of reasons: Musk, like Trump, is irrepressible, and Trump can use Musk as a bad cop and Rubio as a good cop. 

Not to mention, of course, that Musk is right about Britain’s political landscape, and Starmer has insulted Trump deeply by appointing an Ambassador who has basically called Trump a fascist. Keir Starmer is getting what he asked for and what he deserves. 

As for Germany and the EU, they not only deserve what they are getting, but unless they change direction, it won’t matter at all what Musk, Trump, or anybody else thinks about the current regime. European countries are overrun by hostile migrants, rushing toward economic collapse, are incapable of defending themselves, and are collapsing demographically. 

At least in the United States, we have a history of integrating immigrants given enough time and in reasonably controlled numbers; Europe simply cannot digest any large number of migrants–especially from Muslim countries–and European countries are in demographic decline. 

Neither Trump nor Musk should care about offending the current regimes in Europe–they should poke, prod, and harangue for change. Europe relies on us and shouldn’t imagine they can dictate to the United States. 

it may be that Musk and Trump will have a falling out at some point–Trump can be mercurial–but it won’t be over his insulting Europeans or messing with their politics. 

Besides, who cares about offending Keir Starmer? He is, politically, a dead man walking.