If there is such a thing as political whiplash, Europe is feeling it. Still processing Donald Trump's victory in the US presidential election, the news that Germany's ever fragile, uneasy coalition government had broken down compounded a sense of chaos.

After sacking his political nemesis, Finance Minister Christian Lindner, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz announced a vote of confidence in his government for January 2025. The Social Democratic Party plans to hold snap elections in March at the latest, though the opposition may push to expedite this timeline.

For months, the European Union has been preparing for a potential return of Donald Trump to the White House in 2025. It is no secret that most European politicians would have preferred Democratic candidate Kamala Harris to win, if nothing else for the continuity it would have represented.

As some 50 leaders gathered in Budapest for a meeting of the European Political Community, many of its most powerful voices projected an image of calm and sangfroid.

"This is a decisive moment in history for us Europeans," said French President Emmanuel Macron, who has long argued that the EU must more deeply integrate and stand more independently on the world stage.

"Do we want to read the history written by others — the wars launched by Vladimir Putin, the US election, China's technological or trade choices," Macron asked. "Or do we want to write our own history? I think we have the strength to write........

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