By Len Port

Portugal and other European Union countries are now quietly but increasingly concerned about the prospect of Donald Trump returning as president of the United States and “tearing Europe apart.”

Portugal has always fully endorsed the United States and European countries giving large quantities of weapons to Ukraine in its fight against Russia’s occupation.

Portugal has always fully supported the European Union and the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO), of which it was a founding member.

Donald Trump says he intends to immediately end the war in Ukraine and give Russia victory by stopping support for Ukraine. He has shown little interest in continuing America’s close bonds with the European Union, or with continuing ties with NATO.

The other main worries for Portugal and the rest of Europe are that the United States, under a second Trump administration, will side firmly with Israel rather than a two-state solution with Palestine, complicated by billions of dollars/euros in cross-Atlantic trade relations, and ignore efforts to counter the climate crisis.

The good news is that representatives from Portugal and 50 other European countries recently attended a private summit in England in which newly elected British prime minister, Keir Starmer, vowed to “reset” relations with the European Union shattered by Brexit.

Also, a substantial majority has just voted for the moderate Ursula Von der Leyen to serve a second term as president of the European Union Commission. The former Portuguese prime minister, Antonio Costa, is now well entrenched as president of the European Union Council.

However, the prediction of Europe being “torn apart,” following the return of Donald Trump to power, is likely to increase worry for Portugal and the rest of the continent.

“This is the moment most of Europe’s leaders hoped they would never see,” reported the much respected American digital news outlet Politico stating: “The date is November 7, 2024.”

The Politico report continued: “The former reality TV star’s return to power would not only be the biggest test in transatlantic relations in post-war history, but it could also pose an existential risk to European unity as the tensions over how to work with the world’s most powerful country pull the continent apart.”  

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Len Port, born in Northern Ireland, worked as a news reporter and correspondent, mainly in Hong Kong and South Africa, before moving to Portugal many years ago.