Former European Commissioner for the Internal Market Thierry Breton has claimed that a win for Republican hopeful Donald Trump could sound the death knell for the European Union.
During an interview with BFMTV on November 3, Breton warned of a “deadly crisis” for the bloc were Trump to be re-elected president on November 5.
Élection américaine: en cas de victoire de Donald Trump, Thierry Breton "craint" une crise "mortifère pour l'Europe" pic.twitter.com/jpiE45KU6g
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— BFMTV (@BFMTV) November 3, 2024
According to Breton, a Trump victory could deeply affect European defence, security and trade while weakening Western support for Ukraine.
“The US is a critical ally for Europe in supporting Ukraine against Russia and we know that Americans are growing weary of this commitment. It is clear that if … [Trump] is elected, this support could dry up almost overnight. He claimed he could halt aid within 24 hours,” Breton said.
A Trump win, he argued, could also prompt some European countries to seek bilateral deals with Washington directly, bypassing the EU.
We need a lot of leadership at the head of our European institutions to hold the 27 together and avoid this kind of race which could lead to a deadly crisis for Europe.
“We saw what happened in Moldova and Georgia and can only imagine the sentiment in Baltic capitals like Vilnius, Riga, or Tallinn, where there is a strong concern for NATO support.
“Consider Finland, which recently joined NATO and now shares a 1,340-kilometre border with Russia. These countries rely on NATO, and thus the United States, for nuclear protection,” he said.
Breton also claimed Trump had gained a better understanding of global power dynamics since his last term, having forged relationships with key leaders such as China’s Xi Jinping, Russia’s Vladimir Putin and Hungary’s Viktor Orbán.
He did, though, voice concerns about the close Trump-Orbán connection, saying: “If it’s him, make no mistakes: when Donald Trump calls someone in Europe, it’s Viktor Orbán—not [EC President] Ursula von der Leyen”.
“People need to be aware of this. Sure, you can regret it, you can find it appalling, you can say it’s impossible — but if Trump wants to know something about Europe, he won’t call the President of the European Parliament, nor the President of the European Commission, nor even the President of the European Council,” he added.
The EU strategic autonomy is a never-ending fight 🇪🇺
It needs to be constantly reinforced, with everyone in Europe, to become a reality.
Excellent meeting with 🇭🇺 @PM_ViktorOrban in Budapest today, ahead of the US elections that will mark a new era. #Preparedness pic.twitter.com/5Wz2qSzk67
— Thierry Breton (@ThierryBreton) October 21, 2024
“Patriots and Donald Trump will together pursue a traditional pro-family policy,” he said on November 3.
Breton urged the EU to abandon what he called its usual cautious approach and stand united — citing the bloc’s digital regulations as an example of what European unity can achieve.
To strengthen unity within the EU, he argued that the EU should closely follow former European Central Bank (ECB) president Mario Draghi’s report in September.
Breton, in an interview for la Tribune published on November 2, had said: “Let’s not be the last of the Mohicans. It’s been a long time since China or the United States complied with WTO rules.
“We are, in some aspect a herbivorous dinosaur surrounded by tyrannosaurs.”
This is not the first time the 69-year-old politician has commented on the US election from a European perspective.
On October 28, he raised concerns that, in his opinion, the EU was unprepared for the potential outcomes of the upcoming US presidential contest.
Former Commissioner for Internal Market of the European Union Thierry Breton has raised concerns that the EU is unprepared for the potential outcomes of the upcoming US election. https://t.co/7qDmmyjVDv
— Brussels Signal (@brusselssignal) October 28, 2024
