European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen delivered a pointed warning to US President Donald Trump on Thursday, urging Washington to refrain from meddling in European democratic processes after a new American national security strategy provoked alarm across the continent.
Speaking at the Politico 28 gala in Brussels, von der Leyen stressed that the integrity of elections in Europe must remain solely in the hands of its citizens.
“It is not on us, when it comes to elections, to decide who the leader of the country will be, but on the people of this country,” she said. “That’s the sovereignty of the voters, and this must be protected.”
She continued, “Nobody else is supposed to interfere, without any question,” in a clear reference to the US National Security Strategy released last week.
The strategy, which claims Europe is on a path toward “civilizational erasure” within two decades, has been widely criticised as echoing rhetoric common among far-right leaders in Europe, including Hungary’s Viktor Orbán, and amplified by figures in Russia.
It also frames European attempts to curb far-right extremism as “political censorship” and advocates “cultivating resistance to Europe’s current trajectory”, raising concerns about foreign efforts to influence public opinion within the EU.
Von der Leyen said such developments underscore the urgency of advancing the EU’s proposed Democracy Shield, a legislative and technological framework designed to strengthen the bloc’s defences against foreign interference, particularly in online spaces where disinformation campaigns are most active.
The initiative aims to enhance transparency, improve cybersecurity, and better coordinate responses to manipulation attempts during sensitive periods such as elections.
While careful to frame herself as a committed transatlantic partner, von der Leyen noted that Europe must remain confident in its own direction. “From the bottom of my heart, I’m a convinced transatlanticist,” she said. “But what is so important is that we take pride in being the European Union, that we look at our strength and that we deal with the challenges that we do have.”
She acknowledged that relations between Brussels and Washington have shifted in recent years. “Of course, our relationship to the United States has changed. Why? Because we are changing,” von der Leyen said, urging Europeans to “stand up for a unified Europe” and take an assertive role on the global stage.
Her remarks came just days after Trump harshly criticised Europe in an interview with Politico’s Dasha Burns, describing the continent as “decaying” and led by “weak” leaders. “I think they’re weak,” Trump said. “Europe doesn’t know what to do.”
In a striking illustration of the political climate, Politico on Thursday placed Trump at the top of its annual P28 list, naming him the most influential individual shaping Europe’s political direction in the year ahead—even from outside the continent’s borders.
Von der Leyen’s comments reflect a growing awareness in Brussels that European democracy faces both internal and external pressures, and that safeguarding the continent’s political sovereignty will remain a defining challenge in the years ahead.