Trump’s COVID-19 response is deepening the transatlantic rift by Luigi Scazzieri
Relations between Europe and the US were already in a poor condition before the coronavirus pandemic. Trump’s response will make tensions worse. President Donald Trump’s ‘America First’ approach and his hostility towards the European Union have led the US and Europe to clash over many issues in recent years. These have ranged from trade and climate change, to China, the Middle East and defence spending within NATO. Trump’s response to the coronavirus pandemic will lead to a widening of transatlantic differences. In previous crises, such as the 2008-09 financial crash, the US was at the forefront of the international response. Trump’s approach could not be more different. Instead of co-ordinating with allies in the fight against COVID-19, the US imposed a ban on travel from Europe without notice, and reportedly attempted to buy CureVac, a German vaccine company, to try to ensure Americans would be inoculated first. The US was caught unprepared after Trump ignored early warnings about the dangers of the new disease sweeping across the globe. Europeans have looked on in disbelief as US state governors fought with each other over medical supplies. Trump’s announcement that he is taking hydroxychloroquine as a preventative measure, despite the fact that it can lead to fatal complications and has not been shown to be effective, is likely to add to Europe’s sense that it no longer has a reliable partner in Washington.
While the Federal Reserve has opened emergency currency swap lines with other countries to help stabilise their economies by allowing them to obtain dollars, the US government has shown little interest in international health or economic cooperation. In a late March call between G7 foreign ministers, US insistence on referring to coronavirus as the “Wuhan virus” meant they failed to agree on a joint statement. Similarly, the US did not participate in an EU-led effort in early May to pledge €7.4 billion in funding for a coronavirus vaccine. Trump suspended US funding for the World Health Organization (WHO) in mid-April, accusing it of mismanaging the original outbreak in Wuhan and covering up for China. He is now threatening to quit the WHO altogether. In contrast, Europeans have strongly criticised Trump’s decision to freeze contributions to the organisation, arguing that its work is essential. The pandemic is likely to widen transatlantic differences over China. Trump has taken a hostile stance towards Beijing, accusing it of a coverup, claiming that coronavirus originated in a Chinese lab and threatening to “cut off the whole relationship”. European countries broadly agree with the US analysis that China mismanaged the initial phase of the crisis, and the EU has led