Ishaan Tharoor
It’s getting harder to overstate the strain in transatlantic ties. A week ago, the White House publicized a national security document that claimed Europe’s leadership was leading the continent toward “civilizational erasure,” scoffed at Europe’s “unrealistic” expectations to repel Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and espoused a strategy of undermining the European Union as a political entity while allying with the Euroskeptic far right. The perceived attack on the E.U. was reinforced by various statements from Trump officials and allies, furious over an E.U. fine slapped on tech billionaire Elon Musk’s X for failure to comply with E.U. digital regulations.
Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau railed against a bloc whose member states “pursue all sorts of agendas that are often utterly adverse to U.S. interests and security.” Musk himself called for the outright abolition of the European Union. President Donald Trump, in an interview with Politico last week, said Europe’s political leaders are “weak,” “politically correct” and “don’t know what to do.”
The reaction in Europe was gloomy. The latest cover in German newsweekly Der Spiegel depicted Trump standing behind a knife-wielding Russian President Vladimir Putin as the latter carved into a map of Europe. “Two rogues, one goal,” the tagline read. Kremlin officials had told reporters that Trump’s national security strategy “aligned” with their vision.
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