America’s Anger With Europe Has a Definite Upside

There’s much that’s up in the air as talks between the US and Iran faltered in Pakistan this weekend, from the Strait of Hormuz’s closure to the exchange of fire in Lebanon. But it’s increasingly clear there will be a “before” and “after” the Iran crisis for America’s European allies as the transatlantic relationship plumbs new depths.

Donald Trump’s administration has decided that leaders such as Britain’s Keir Starmer and France’s Emmanuel Macron are the perfect scapegoats to deflect perceptions that the US has been strategically humbled and Iran empowered despite its military losses and destroyed infrastructure. The North Atlantic Treaty Organization “wasn’t there when we needed them,” the US president posted on social media, and he’s reportedly considering closing bases in European nations deemed unsupportive. While Italian President Sergio Mattarella and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz protest loudly that the alliance is “irreplaceable,” something has also quietly snapped on the continent, too.