Berlin: Donald Trump’s return to the US presidency could spell a lonely and dangerous stretch for Europe, which is already mired in economic stagnation and rattled by war on its eastern doorstep. It is a moment that European leaders agree demands renewed and forceful leadership from the continent’s two largest economies.

But France and Germany, which are also the European Union’s most important countries, are struggling to answer the call. They themselves are falling victim to the same political forces that helped Trump gain popularity among conservatives and swing voters in the United States. Among them: backlash against rapid consumer price increases; anxiety and anger over increased immigration; and the rapid erosion of public trust in political elites.

Trump shakes hands with French President Emmanuel Macron in Caen, France in 2019.Credit: AP

Mainstream political parties have bled support. Populists and nationalists, including once-fringe parties on the far right, have surged.

After months of infighting over taxes, spending and how best to reinvigorate Germany’s economy, Chancellor Olaf Scholz scuttled his governing coalition this past week by firing his wayward finance minister. The country appears headed towards early elections, which seem likely to oust Scholz from power.

A far-right party and a new populist party gained ground in recent regional elections, and Trump’s victory could further boost their credibility against mainstream parties in the coming federal election.

In France, President Emmanuel Macron has seen his power wane in the aftermath of a calamitous decision to call snap elections this year. It took France months to form a government after that vote, which left the lower house of parliament in near deadlock and yielded a shaky coalition clinging to power against the far right and the left.

The uncertainty from Paris to Berlin has created a continental power vacuum that may embolden Russia in its war in........

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