The European Commission has created a special team of high-ranking officials to prepare for the possible return of former US President Donald Trump to the White House.
This was reported to the Financial Times (FT) by three sources related to the creation of the team and informed about its tasks.
Currently, the European Union is developing strategies to cope with possible radical changes in the views of the White House, in particular, on the issues of free trade and support for Ukraine, if Trump is elected president of the United States in the November elections. The group is also examining the potential impact on the EU of the potential presidency of incumbent US vice president and possible Democratic nominee Kamala Harris.
"The US elections are still far from over, so we must determine in advance what the consequences may be in each case. Key senior officials in the group are discussing which aspects to focus on the most," said one of the newspaperʼs interlocutors on condition of anonymity.
The team was formed by the office of the Secretary General of the European Commission Ilse Johansson. The group includes a fairly limited number of EU officials — they represent European Commission departments dealing, in particular, with issues of trade, competition and external relations.
Germanyʼs foreign ministry has also created a similar group to prepare for a possible second Trump presidency, officials told the Financial Times.
In the European Union, they are worried that after becoming the president of the USA for the second time, Trump may introduce punitive tariffs on EU goods, stop military and financial support for Ukraine and force Kyiv to cede territories to the Russian Federation in order to end the war.
The EU is also worried that Trump will follow through on previous threats and withdraw the US from NATO or undermine the mutual defense clause against countries that, in his opinion, do not spend enough on the Allianceʼs defense.
The team plans to intensify its work in September and expand contacts with the governments of EU member states to share thoughts and ideas about potential risks for the bloc and ways to mitigate the consequences of negative decisions.
Also, the group is already developing communication plans in case of dramatic changes in US policy towards Europe. For example, if the United States stops providing military aid to Kyiv under a potential Trump administration, the EU will encourage taxpayers to contribute more to the defense of Ukraine.
The European Commission said it was "preparing for the US elections" and "considering all possible outcomes", adding that it "is keen to maintain a close partnership with the States".
At the same time, it is not a fact that Harris will completely inherit the current President Joe Bidenʼs policy of supporting Ukraine. Trumpʼs campaign promises to immediately end the war by forcing Kyiv to cede territory to Moscow could influence American public opinion about Russiaʼs war with Ukraine, even if he is not elected president.
Elections in the USA
This yearʼs presidential election in the USA will be held on November 5, 2024. This will be the 60th presidential election in the history of the country, during which the 47th president of the USA will be elected. Donald Trump has already become the Republican candidate and introduced his vice-presidential candidate James David Vance. Vance consistently opposes aid to Ukraine and says that Kyiv will have to cede some territories for a ceasefire.
After an unsuccessful debate with Trump in June, 81-year-old Joe Biden was criticized. US Democratic Party leaders and donors pressured him to stop running for president. So on July 21, Biden officially announced that he was leaving the presidential race.
Biden endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris as the Democratic nominee. Harrisʼ candidacy still needs to be approved by the delegates of the Democratic Party at the convention, which will be held on August 19-22 in Chicago.