Donald Trump really, really hates the EU–much more, even, than the Chinese, who at least have the decency to be led by a strongman. In his eyes, the EU is pious, woke, and wimpy. It has the audacity to regulate American companies. It runs a large trade surplus with us while it free rides on our defense spending. It cares, or at least claims to care, about international law and human rights instead of talking about what really matters–power and wealth. It has to go.
Destroying the EU will probably be one of Trump’s principal foreign policy objectives over the next four years. You can expect him to use divide and conquer tactics–to offer better terms to EU countries with right-wing populist governments that are willing to suck up to him and pay lots of money for protection. As a result, the EU will be split into two groups: one that despises him but for pragmatic or ideological reasons bends the knee to him; and one that despises him even more and responds to his bullying by moving closer to China.
To what extent will Trump succeed? TBD.