Humiliating Europe: Trump’s culture war and the EU’s response

EU Confidential

POLITICO

Politics, News Commentary, News

4.4 • 175 Ratings

🗓️ 3 October 2025

⏱️ 36 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

What do Donald Trump’s culture war, Moldova’s EU ambitions, and Czechia’s upcoming parliamentary election have in common? They all reveal how Europe is being tested — and sometimes humiliated. In this episode of EU Confidential, host Sarah Wheaton speaks with Paweł Zerka, senior policy fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations, about his new report. It argues that Trump is waging a deliberate culture war against Europe — trying to weaken the continent, polarize its politics, and strip it of its dignity. We also bring you a dispatch from Moldova, where POLITICO’s Gabriel Gavin reports on last weekend’s election and what it means for the country’s EU path. And we also zoom in on Czechia’s election with political marketing scholar Anna Shavit in Prague, who unpacks Andrej Babiš’ comeback campaign — and his oddly revealing “shovel theory” of leadership. Further readings: Reality show: Why Europe must not cave in Trump’s culture war, by Paweł Zerka EU must unblock Moldova’s membership bid, government urges after historic vote, by Gabriel Gavin Pro-EU party secures majority in high-stakes Moldovan election, by Gabriel Gavin Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	So remember when Donald Trump was all like, European countries are, quote, going to hell over their migration policies?
0:08.5	I'm really good at this stuff.
0:10.8	Your countries are going to hell.
0:16.4	Well, according to our guest this week, that wasn't just the usual case of Trump mouthing off for shock value.
0:23.2	It was more insidious.
0:25.8	One of many moments where the U.S. president has been intentionally humiliating Europe.
0:31.6	As part of a culture war, he's waging against a close ally.
0:35.9	A new report from the European Council on Foreign Relations says Trump isn't just
0:41.2	picking fights over trade, migration, or NATO.
0:44.0	He's out to polarize Europe, weaken it, and strip the union of its dignity and identity.
0:51.6	And Europe's response so far?
0:54.0	Too often, in this report's telling, submission.
1:02.7	But what is Trump's real aim here? Is challenging Europe's values anything new, or just a louder
1:10.0	version of what leaders like
1:11.5	Viktor Orban have been doing from the inside? And if it is a culture war, is there any way Europe can
1:18.7	win? I'm Sarah Wheaton, host of EU Confidential. Later in the episode, I'll be speaking with
1:26.1	Pavel Circa, who authored the ECFR report.
1:29.7	But before that, we're bringing you two conversations about elections.
1:34.2	The first, just finished, in Moldova, were voters once again back to government promising a European path, despite massive interference from Russia.
1:44.0	And the second, kicking off as this
1:46.5	podcast hit your feed in the Czech Republic, where populist Andre Babish, the self-styled Czech
1:53.1	Trump, is hoping for a comeback. Let's start with my colleague Gabriel Gavin, who spent the last
	...

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