In the United States, every president is required to publish a National Security Strategy (NSS). The one released by the Trump administration in November 2025 – an openly partisan and Washington-centered text following the “America First” doctrine – has clashed with many European officials who nostalgically remember the Biden era. However, comparing the “Made in Trump” NSS with the Biden administration’s reveals more continuity between the two documents than believed, despite a major distinction on the underlying ideology.
The National Security Strategy of the United States published in November 2025 by the Trump administration sparked much debate, with some even going as far as talking about a “divorce” from Europe. The previous version under the Biden administration, released in October 2022, represented a significant departure on many fronts. The tone plays a significant role – Biden’s document was much smoother and friendlier compared to Trump’s more direct approach. However, looking beyond the form and digging into the content, both ruptures and continuities are presented in more nuanced colors.
Geopolitical Visions Closer Than Expected
Both Democratic and Republican presidents, along with their administrations, show great continuity regarding, on one hand, the end of economic globalization and free trade, and on the other hand, prioritizing U.S. interests on a global scale.
The NSS 2022 strongly criticized the outcomes of the last thirty years of economic globalization and drew consequences from it. According to Jake Sullivan, National Security Advisor to Joe Biden, the NSS 2025 emphasizes the fundamental role of economic security in national security. The focus shifts to securing supply chains, involving a decoupling between China and the United States, re-emphasizing the importance of economic security in national security.
On the domestic front, the message under the Biden administration was the resurgence of the state in the economy, promoting a modern industrial and innovation strategy, public strategic investments, and utilizing public procurement in critical markets to preserve technological primacy. The NSS 2025 echoes this sentiment, stressing the fundamental importance of economic security for national security and covering each sub-theme. The continuity here is seamless.
The geographical prioritization between the two NSS documents is equally remarkable: 1) emphasizing the primacy of the Indo-Pacific over Europe; 2) underscoring the importance of the Americas, rising from the last place in 2015 to the first in 2025. This concentration of efforts on China necessitates Europe to take charge of its security and restore a strategic balance vis-à-vis Russia. The NSS 2025 introduces the “Trump corollary to the Monroe doctrine,” denying external competitors from positioning forces or controlling critical assets in the Americas.
Ideological Disagreements
The two presidents diverge on two ideological fronts – the concept of democracy and the international system, including climate issues.
The NSS 2022 reaffirmed the U.S. support for democracy and human rights worldwide but introduced a nuance in international relations, preferring partnerships with states supporting an international order based on defined rules without judging their political regimes. On the other hand, the NSS 2025 focuses solely on U.S. essential national interests, proclaiming a predisposition to non-interventionism and claiming a “Flexible Realism” based on non-regime change policies.
Furthermore, the NSS 2025 redefines the understanding of democracy around a very American-centric view, highlighting civilizational concepts like freedom of expression, religious liberty, and conscience.
NSS 2025 and Europe
The section of the NSS 2025 dedicated to Europe received criticism in European media for its condescending tone. However, the Trump administration makes a fundamental distinction between nations aligned with the American vision of democracy and the EU, viewed as a harmful counterbalance that needs to be dismantled. The NSS 2025 establishes a bipartisan consensus on strategic issues facing the U.S. and operational responses while highlighting a fundamental divergence in the values to navigate these challenges. This was reiterated by Secretary of State Marco Rubio during the Munich conference in February 2026.
