Democracy will be put to test during November election in US, EU leader says

The Belgian prime minister warned that democracy will be put to the test in the United States and in Europe during the elections this coming year.

Just hours after former President Trump won the Iowa caucuses by a wide margin Monday, Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo, whose country took the presidency of the European Union Council Jan. 1, said the European Parliament must prepare for a return of the “America first” agenda.

“2024 will be a crucial year, where our democracies and liberties will be put to the test,” De Croo said, referring to the European elections in June as well as the U.S. presidential election in November.

“If 2024 brings us ‘America first’ again, it will be more than ever ‘Europe on its own,’” he said.

Trump’s signature “America first” agenda led to cooling of relations with European allies, as Trump engaged in trade disputes and threatened to withdraw from NATO — an alliance that has been bolstered over the past couple of years as military conflict in the Middle East and Ukraine has worried many European Union allies.

Trump frequently threatened to withdraw from NATO when president, but just last week, French European Commissioner Thierry Breton claimed Trump privately warned European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in 2020 that the U.S. would not come to Europe’s aid if attacked, according to new reporting from Politico.

“You need to understand that if Europe is under attack we will never come to help you and to support you,” Trump said, according to Breton, who claimed Trump also said, “By the way, NATO is dead, and we will leave, we will quit NATO.”

Trump won the Iowa caucuses with 51 percent support Monday, boosting his momentum as he heads into next week’s primary in New Hampshire, where he also maintains a strong lead, according to early polling data.