Trump’s Second-Term Foreign Policy and the Transformation of Transatlantic Relations: Value Divergence and Strategic Realignment

Abstract

The transatlantic alliance has undergone significant erosion and weakening during the US President Trump’s second administration. This paper analyzes the shifting dynamics of the transatlantic relationship and attributes the erosion of this value-based alliance largely to Trump’s endorsement of unilateralism, transactional diplomacy, and rising nationalistic populism. This study employs a dual theoretical framework grounded in Liberal Institutionalism and Constructivism to assess the unraveling of shared liberal values that have underpinned the transatlantic partnership. This qualitative, case-study based analysis has drawn from various reports, official speeches, policy documents and other academic sources to facilitate the identification of critical policy shifts—such as trade conflicts with Europe, conditional aid to Ukraine, weakening of NATO’s strategic unity and support for illiberal regimes. Collectively, these policies reflect a clear departure from longstanding American values and practices that have been a cornerstone of American foreign policy since World War II. Efforts to secure Europe’s strategic autonomy, its push for regional defense integration, and revitalized diplomatic initiatives highlight the future trajectory of transatlantic relations. The research findings suggest that the underlying latent vulnerabilities in the transatlantic relationship were exposed when confronted by Trump’s transactional policies, thereby prompting corresponding responses from European states.