Hegseth says Europe faces ‘invasion’ of dangerous ideologies at D-Day event

Standing on the Normandy coast, where Allied troops once fought their way onto Europe’s shores, US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth cast today’s immigration pressures as a new kind of threat, warning that dangerous ideologies were now arriving by sea.

The comments fit squarely within the broader message from President Donald Trump’s administration, which has repeatedly argued that Europe is being weakened by inadequate defences, failure to confront immigration, excessive bureaucracy and what it describes as the “censorship” of far-right and nationalist figures to block them from office.

“Sadly, today, different European beaches are stormed by different, dangerous ideologies. Beaches in Spain, Italy, Greece and Bulgaria, boats and men arrive,” Mr Hegseth said during a speech at the Normandy American Cemetery in Colleville-sur-Mer.

“When will European capitals do something about that invasion or is it too late? I pray not, and I believe not,” he said.

Mr Trump and other senior US officials have frequently accused European governments of failing to bring immigration under control, with Vice President JD Vance repeating that criticism as recently as yesterday.

A US National Security Strategy document released last year sharpened that message, warning that Europe was at risk of “civilisational erasure” and needed to change course if it hoped to remain a dependable ally of the United States.

That document, along with similar statements from senior Trump officials, has unsettled long-standing post-war assumptions about Europe’s relationship with its most powerful ally. It has also pushed governments across European capitals to think more urgently about reducing their dependence on US technology and defence.