Dr. Robert Rohrschneider studies European politics and political movements at the University of Kansas. He tells KCUR's Up To Date that a second term of President Trump will bring uncertainty to U.S.-European relations at a challenging time for the continent.
"It will be a difficult four years for Europe," he says. "There's no doubt about it."
Trump's proposed tariffs, which include the European automotive sector, could affect consumers on both sides of the Atlantic.
"That will put that industry in the extremely difficult position," Rohrschneider says. "We are so interrelated and so integrated with each other's economies that I'm hopeful it won't come to a point where both sides would suffer."
Rohrschneider also says that Trump's victory could spell trouble for Ukraine.
"If the United States hardware falls by the wayside, then the Ukraine is in a pickle, and so is Europe," Rohrschneider says.
The rise of right-wing populist movements on both sides of the Atlantic speak to a trend Rohrschneider has studied for decades.
"The decline of confidence in Western institutions and democratic institutions is not new," he says. "These issues that support the rise of a right-wing populist party will not go away."
- Dr. Robert Rohrschneider, University of Kansas professor
