Guy Verhofstadt claims Europe is able to get its act together when under pressure or facing a crisis. Despite threat posed by Russia, disruptive elements like Brexit, Trump and populist governments in Austria and Italy, as well as autocratic regimes in Hungary and Poland, a recent Eurobarometer survey shows that 83% of Europeans would vote to remain in the bloc if they had to vote on their EU membership; and a record-high 60% regard EU membership as a “good thing” for their country. While 42% think the bloc is “on the wrong path,” but most Europeans do not want to “destroy” the EU. Instead they ask “how to improve it.”

The author maintains that Trump’s “America First” agenda is “a misguided return to the naked nationalism and protectionism of a bygone era.” In reality his campaign had been dictated by Putin in order to cripple the EU and weaken the Western alliance. British and European intelligence noted interactions between Trump’s aides and Russian operatives already in 2015. It explains why he lashed out at the EU so often, claiming it was created to “beat the United States when it comes to making money” in an interview with NBC News in July 2016. He defended his attacks on NATO and its allies, demanding them to pay more, saying the US is not getting a fair return on its investment in Europe’s security.

That Angela Merkel and Emmanuel Macron are considering to “pursue long-overdue EU-level reforms” instils hope that “the long-stagnant European integration process” might still be salvageable. However unrealistic a deeper integration could be, keeping the bloc together is an immediate concern. Merkel is right, Europe can no longer rely on the US under Trump, because his policies pose “a direct threat to the post-war international order that has underpinned prosperity and stability for 73 years.”

Trump’s protectionist trade policy can only be an own goal, as his supporters will soon bear the brunt of his trade war with the whole world. Europeans have an existential interest in protecting and upholding multilateralism that Trump assaults, and severely damages America’s global credibility. While “united” in confronting Trump, EU leaders still hope that the current standoff may just be a phase and that relations with the US could be restored once Trump is gone.

No other US president has been so hostile towards America’s European allies, because there was no alternative to a strong Transatlantic partnership. In fact there is no superpower available with which Europeans could share enough interests to build a new form of alliance. China and Russia are no good options. Besides, the Transatlantic flows of trade and capital are irreplaceable, and constitute a mutual asset for both America and Europe.

The EU may be the largest trade bloc in the world, but it needs to improve its capacity to tackle 21st-century challenges – migration, social inequality, cybersecurity, terrorism, instability in the Balkans, war in the Middle East etc. – on its own. A divided and economically weakened Europe would have even less capacity to do so if its relationship with the US came fully apart. Despite Trump, the US is a vibrant and innovative economy with a dynamic, multicultural population. Thanks to its robust civil society, the US will survive Trump’s presidency. Meanwhile Europe needs to stay afloat and avoids drowning in a populist rip current.