Trump’s Greenland push puts strain on MAGA ties with Europe’s far right

Growing tensions over US President Donald Trump's plans to take control of Greenland are straining relations between the MAGA movement and Europe's far-right parties, exposing divisions over foreign intervention and national sovereignty.

Far-right leaders in Germany, Italy and France have openly criticised Trump's stance on Greenland. Even Nigel Farage, a long-time Trump ally and leader of Britain's Reform UK party, described the move as "a very hostile act."

During a debate in the European Parliament this week, far-right lawmakers who usually align with Trump largely backed suspending an EU-US trade pact, citing concerns over what they called "coercion" and "threats to sovereignty."

The rift has surprised some observers, given the strong ideological alignment between Trump and Europe's nationalist parties. In 2024, far-right groups surged across the European Union and now hold about 26 percent of seats in the European Parliament, according to the German Institute for International and Security Affairs.

Less than a year ago, many of these parties gathered in Madrid under the slogan "Make Europe Great Again" to celebrate Trump's election. However, Trump's foreign policy moves on Greenland, Venezuela and Iran have forced European allies to balance ideological affinity with concerns over sovereignty.

France's National Rally, which has praised Trump's nationalist views, has recently shifted tone. Party president Jordan Bardella criticised US actions in Venezuela as "foreign interference" and denounced Trump's "commercial blackmail" over Greenland, warning, "Our subjugation would be a historic mistake."

Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni echoed the criticism, saying Trump's tariff threats linked to Greenland were "a mistake."

In contrast, some eastern European leaders have avoided confrontation. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán defended Trump, calling Greenland an internal NATO issue, while leaders in Poland, the Czech Republic and Slovakia have largely refrained from criticism.

Analysts say the episode highlights growing fault lines within the trans-Atlantic far right and raises questions about whether shared ideology can withstand disputes over national sovereignty.