Donald Trump Is Exploiting Europe’s Weakness
Talks over the Ukraine war show that Donald Trump thinks both the US and Russia can end up as winners. Europe is being made to pay the price, as its leaders accept their role as humiliated junior allies.
Europe’s politics are increasingly shaped by far-right parties who say they defend national sovereignty. Yet these same forces consistently defend Donald Trump’s diktats, embracing US leadership even when it damages their own countries. (Photo by Andrew Caballero-Reynolds /AFP via Getty Images)
Visiting his Scottish summer palace at Turnberry last month, Donald Trump invited local, UK, and European dignitaries to pay their respects.
During a round of golf, Scottish First Minister John Swinney was required to rise and accept the emperor’s plaudits that he was “a very special guy” before taking his seat on cue, halfway up the packed bleachers containing the president’s audience. “He really loves the people of this country, and we really appreciate it,” Trump continued.
The price Swinney paid for this pat on the head, besides his dignity and that of his office? £180,000 of investment to a golf tournament at another of Trump’s resorts in Aberdeen. That’s the difference between a friendly humiliation and a public dressing-down.
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