The transatlantic community must at some point reconcile and that must include a proper appraisal of the person at the center of the dispute; United States President Donald J. Trump. The universally held belief in Europe from ordinary people in the street to the highest echelons of power is that President Trump is ”a madman”. Some become diagnostic and claim that the President is ”a textbook example” of a patient with Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD). That’s why European leaders focused on flattering the President in meetings with him, because narcissists are known to require constant affirmation. Beyond the issue is the reality that it is impossible to give diagnoses outside the strictly clinical context. However, the personality disorder pseudo-diagnosis is inappropriate and unethical since the purpose is to stigmatize and irrationalize ”the non-patient”, in effect sub-humanize him. Furthermore, the European leaders intended to take advantage of his perceived psychopathology by systematically flattering him.
Contrary to what is generally believed outside the United States and in particular in Europe, President Trump is a rational decision-maker. The only thing less than rational about him is conflating bromance (something the President is very prone to) with foreign leaders – with relations between nations. However, the President is extremely eccentric and this is the real impetus behind the madman theory. My point is that as long as Europeans do not abandon the false madman theory there will be little progress in transatlantic relations. The President’s perceivedly unusual actions are in contrast wholly attributable to his belief in Realpolitik which is completely discredited and unworkable in Europe and its reintroduction to the subcontinent would no doubt lead to the eventual disintegration of the European Union which at its core abhors Realpolitik. Trump’s social media posts are consistent with how he makes decisions, i.e. through intuition. His intuition (i.e. his subconscious) tells him something and then he writes it down and posts it on Truth Social. This is not evidence of psychopathology.
Realpolitik is amoral by design, not because evil is preferable to good, but because morality is perceived as irrelevant to the calculus. This mindset is basically the history of Europe and Europe’s break with Realpolitik is real and foundational for the European Union. Thus, President Trump and his administration should certainly avoid appealing to Realpolitik in their dealings with European leaders.
The European Union with its 450 million citizens is potentially a superpower in the making except that EU leaders have no interest whatsoever in any shape or form in becoming a superpower. However, the EU despite its lack of imperial ambitions must at least become a regional great power in order to survive a Russian military invasion of the European Union.
Is it possible to bridge the EU:s institutional naive idealism with its opposite, US amoral Realpolitik? Democratic realism could potentially bridge the two.
Aliyah Organization 