A sombre mood enveloped Brussels on Wednesday, as the European Union woke to the news that its long time antagonist had stormed to victory in the US election.
The Republican president-elect has threatened to relaunch a trade war with Europe, withdraw US support for Ukraine, and roll back America’s transatlantic security commitment.
Even as European leaders scrambled to congratulate Donald Trump and offered to work with him, some of their underlings were on the brink of despair.
“It is a disaster for us, there is no good to come from this,” said an EU diplomat, whose weary eyes betrayed an all-nighter watching the election results roll in.
Officials in the Belgian capital have spent months discussing how to “Trump-proof” the EU and Nato.
On Monday, its incoming trade chief Maros Sefcovic said that regardless of who won, the bloc would “put forward an offer of cooperation” but would “be ready to stand up for our interest if faced with a disruptive scenario”.
