Far-right politicians across Europe who enthusiastically embraced Donald Trump following his re-election are now rapidly retreating from the relationship, with the Iran conflict and his demands for NATO intervention serving as the breaking point.
According to reporting from the Wall Street Journal’s Bertrand Benoit and Max Colchester, tensions have been building over Trump’s tariff policies—which were struck down by the Supreme Court in a landmark ruling—but the invasion of Iran and subsequent demands that European nations share the military burden have pushed nationalist-minded European lawmakers to openly reconsider their alignment with the American president.
The State Department has actively courted European right-wing parties, channeling grants to think tanks and nongovernmental organizations promoting Trump’s “America First” agenda, including policies on free speech and immigration crackdowns. Initially, these parties welcomed the support and association.
But as Europe absorbs the consequences of U.S. policy decisions, the political calculus has shifted dramatically. European politicians are finding it increasingly difficult to maintain their public gratitude while advancing their own nationalist agendas.
Even longtime Trump confidant Nigel Farage has begun hedging his bets. “Look, he’s a friend of mine. I agree with many things that he does. I don’t agree with other things that he does,” Farage recently admitted—a stark contrast to his previous unqualified support.
Public opinion in Europe has turned decisively against Trump. In the U.K., the vast majority of voters identify as “anti-Trump,” according to YouGov polling. Only a quarter of British and German voters support Trump’s attack on Iran. In France, even right-wing voters hold unfavorable views of the president.
This presents a mounting dilemma for MAGA-aligned parties. As Tim Bale, a politics professor at Queen Mary University of London, explained, politicians like Farage who harbor ambitions for higher office must appeal to a much broader electorate—one that largely abhors Trump.
Criticism from Trump’s European allies intensified around the Greenland episode. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who previously served as a diplomatic bridge between Europe and the U.S., has noticeably cooled her public praise. Her deputy, Matteo Salvini—one of Trump’s most vocal Italian supporters—flatly rejected the president’s requests for European nations to help police the Strait of Hormuz. “Italy isn’t at war with anyone,” Salvini declared.
French far-right leader Marine Le Pen and her protégé Jordan Bardella have escalated their criticism, condemning Trump’s military strikes in Venezuela, though they have remained more cautious regarding the Iran attack, reflecting the party’s strong support for Israel.
Germany presents the starkest rebuke. Senior Alternative for Germany (AfD) lawmaker Peter Felser stated bluntly: “We cannot be the lap dog of an ‘America First’ policy if it destroys German jobs. We must remain a sovereign German party, not just the German branch of the MAGA movement.”
Gerold Otten, an AfD lawmaker and defense expert, characterized Trump’s military actions and contempt for international norms as deeply troubling. “You enter very dangerous territory when you say, ‘I am above the law,’” Otten warned. “On the global stage, saying ‘I’m doing it because I can, because I am powerful‘—that leads to the breakdown of civilization, a state where only the law of the jungle remains.”
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