The FPÖ Is a Means to an End for Trump
Published in Der Standard
(Austria) on 10 December 2025
by Manuela Honsig-Erlenburg (link to
original)
European parties that share similar ideologies may be flattered by U.S. attempts to woo them. But they should be aware that the U.S. government is motivated solely by its own interests.
It feels a bit like belated revenge for the fact that “Europe” would have preferred the Democrat Kamala Harris as U.S. president. As reported by Defense One, an allegedly longer version of the U.S. security strategy indicates that the U.S. government aims to support politically like-minded “parties, movements and … figures” in Europe. The document specifically identifies Austria, Hungary, Italy, and Poland as countries that the U.S. should “work more with … with the goal of pulling them away from the [European Union].”
It is reasonable to assume that in Austria, the term “like-minded” refers to the Freedom Party of Austria. For years, Donald Trump has been a role model and source of inspiration for the FPÖ, with the party having established strong ties with the MAGA movement, primarily through Harald Vilimsky, who often visits the U.S. Events like election parties and far-right conferences surely serve as venues for open debate about topics such as Islamification, excessive wokeness and onerous civil rights.
An Established Collaboration
In any case, close collaboration between patriotic movements and MAGA is nothing new, nor is the U.S. strategy of opting to make agreements with individual states rather than taking on the EU as a whole, which is at least economically powerful.
At first glance, all of this may seem advantageous for right-wing, anti-EU parties. Ultimately, however, they should soon wake up to the fact that the U.S. government’s interference in Europe is motivated solely by its own interests.
It feels a bit like belated revenge for the fact that “Europe” would have preferred the Democrat Kamala Harris as U.S. president. As reported by Defense One, an allegedly longer version of the U.S. security strategy indicates that the U.S. government aims to support politically like-minded “parties, movements and … figures” in Europe. The document specifically identifies Austria, Hungary, Italy, and Poland as countries that the U.S. should “work more with … with the goal of pulling them away from the [European Union].”
It is reasonable to assume that in Austria, the term “like-minded” refers to the Freedom Party of Austria. For years, Donald Trump has been a role model and source of inspiration for the FPÖ, with the party having established strong ties with the MAGA movement, primarily through Harald Vilimsky, who often visits the U.S. Events like election parties and far-right conferences surely serve as venues for open debate about topics such as Islamification, excessive wokeness and onerous civil rights.
An Established Collaboration
In any case, close collaboration between patriotic movements and MAGA is nothing new, nor is the U.S. strategy of opting to make agreements with individual states rather than taking on the EU as a whole, which is at least economically powerful.
At first glance, all of this may seem advantageous for right-wing, anti-EU parties. Ultimately, however, they should soon wake up to the fact that the U.S. government’s interference in Europe is motivated solely by its own interests.
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