Axios - President Trump stunned, strangled and humiliated Europe — leaving America's closest continental ally dazed and dumbfounded... No amount of "Trump-proofing" could have prepared Europe for the MAGA-shaped hurricane that swept across the continent this week, wreaking torrential havoc on America's closest allies. Trump left NATO and Ukraine reeling with his initiation of direct peace talks with Russia, without Ukraine fully in the loop or other European leaders even in the conversation.
Hegseth perplexed and perturbed allies on his first visit to NATO by seemingly taking some of Ukraine's bargaining chips off the table before those talks began. He also demanded that Europe take ownership of its own defense so the U.S. could focus on the more urgent threat from China.
Back at home, Trump announced "reciprocal" tariffs on every country that imposes import duties on the U.S., likely affecting $600 billion worth of goods from the EU. And at a global AI summit in Paris on Tuesday, Vice President Vance torched the EU's "excessive regulation of the AI sector" and "hand-wringing about safety," and left the conference without signing its joint declaration....
The bottom line: No one could ever mistake Trump for a great supporter of Europe, which he once said "treats us worse than China." But whether it's threatening to annex Greenland from Denmark, or picking Saudi Arabia as the mediator for Russia-Ukraine talks, the second Trump term could mean twilight for the transatlantic relationship.... More
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