How do we deal with Trump’s USA?

Fitness, fast food, environmental movements, innovative companies with their own research departments, jazz, assembly lines, Red Stockings, Hollywood films, rock music, streaming, supermarkets, social media, etc.

The list of American things and ideas that have developed Denmark and the Danish people is endless. The exchange of ideas spans more than 150 years – during which Danes have looked eagerly and with curiosity to the US to absorb expertise and seek inspiration for a better future.

And although relations with the USA have been completely turned upside down in just a few months, Nils Arne Sørensen, professor emeritus at SDU, does not see much point in turning our backs on American culture on the basis of this. 

Should we break with American culture?

- Nowadays, I’m often asked whether we need to break with American culture and Americanisation. But that seems a bit ridiculous to me. Firstly, boycotting Coca-Cola and McDonald’s, for example, would mostly affect Danish jobs. Also, it’s perhaps worth remembering that our exchanges with the US throughout history have been incredibly beneficial to our society, he says and continues:

- Without the technological and innovative developments that were inspired by the US, ordinary people in Denmark probably wouldn’t have reached the level of prosperity that we have today. Over the years, we have gained a lot from the encounter with American ideas – from innovation and gender equality to environmental movements – just as Novo Nordisk and their way of doing business is indebted to American business models.

Shocked by Trump

Nonetheless, Nils Arne Sørensen – a historian with a long-term perspective on the encounter between Denmark and the USA – is shocked by the path that the US has embarked on with Trump as president.

- To be honest, I’m pretty shocked at how crazy it is with Trump and Vance. In particular, the rhetoric surrounding Canada, Panama and Greenland is really a re-enactment of an imperialism we haven’t seen since World War II. I really didn’t see that coming, says Nils Arne Sørensen. He elaborates: 

- It also worries me how willing many people are to compromise in order to appease Trump. Both when it comes to changing the name from the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America and the way the Democrats don’t speak up because they are afraid of saying something that might make them look completely useless in the eyes of the voters.

At the same time, he reminds us that Trump’s political ideas are not new – he is simply building on a development that has been observable in the US for at least the past 30 years – if you have been paying attention.

The gaps between Europe and the USA

During that time, the rift between large parts of the US and Western Europe have widened in crucial areas. According to the research, there is a God gap, a welfare gap and a trust gap between the US and Western Europe. Americans – or at least those living in the middle parts of the USA – are far more religious, are sceptical of welfare states and have very little trust in the government compared to typical populations in Western Europe.

- In terms of values, the USA began to develop in a different direction than Western Europe when the US model ran into problems and the economy became strained because many other countries in the world started doing things in the same way as the US, and in certain areas even became better at it than the US, says Nils Arne Sørensen and elaborates:

- At this point, parts of the American population began to doubt that life would get better and that they and their children would be better off materially. They are living in a completely different culture to the one we know from the Hollywood films, but it is this part of the population and their very conservative and religious culture that is currently setting the tone in American politics.

The USA is isolating itself

And now we are in a situation in which the gaps between Europe and the USA have grown so wide – at least politically – that decades of alliances and collaborations are faltering. But Nils Arne Sørensen is most concerned about the new world order’s consequences for the climate. 

- In terms of security, this is a shock for Europe, of course – but really, it is a self-inflicted shock. The US has been complaining that it has been paying too much – and Europeans too little – for Europe’s security almost since NATO was founded. Our politicians in Europe have not been skilful enough at keeping the balance in our alliance with the US, he says and elaborates:

- Of course, it’s going to be incredibly difficult and problematic with a USA that is isolating itself and abandoning all cultural diplomacy. It’s none of our business, really, if they want to pursue an absurd policy at home, but it will cause military, economic and supply problems for us in Europe. But honestly, what I’m most worried about is that over the next four years the world will be so preoccupied with all the chaos that Trump is creating that the climate crisis will be completely forgotten and overlooked. We can’t let that happen.

That is the stark conclusion of the country’s leading experts on Denmark’s relationship with the US. He closes with a reminder to keep a long-term perspective in chaotic times.

- As a historian, I find it problematic that every experience with Trump is labelled historic just because we haven’t seen anything like it for a few decades. This is far from the first time in history that a great power has turned its back on free trade, so let’s use history to put Trump’s chaos into perspective and take a closer look at what happened in these previous times.