Introduction
On November 5, 2024, Donald Trump, the Republican Party candidate, was elected as the President of the United States (U.S.) for the second time. Less than a month after Trump was sworn in on January 20, 2025, Vice President J.D. Vance at the Munich Security Conference and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth at the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) meeting in Brussels delivered speeches that provided critical insights into Washington’s shifting priorities regarding the Alliance, European security, and global stability. These early statements signal a potential recalibration of U.S. foreign policy, particularly concerning NATO’s strategic orientation, the future of transatlantic defense commitments, and the evolving security architecture in Europe. It appears that transatlantic alliance relations are entering a critical and uncertain period under the second Trump Administration.
