(COGwriter directed ChatGPT AI illustration)
The Europeans remain concerned about the impact of Donald Trump on the world:
How Trump is dismantling the rules-based global order
22 August 2026
Since Donald Trump took office, an international order underpinned by US security guarantees has been under threat. So where is the rules-based global system heading without the US leading the way?
Mark Leonard of the European Council on Foreign Relations argues that the postwar rules-based order is giving way to an era of “unorder,” driven by declining US commitment, rising powers such as China and growing geopolitical fragmentation. … As confidence in US security guarantees wanes, countries may seek greater military and technological self-reliance, creating a more unstable and unpredictable world. https://www.dw.com/en/how-trump-is-dismantling-the-rules-based-global-order/video-78445054
It is more than “may seek greater military and technological self-reliance,” because that is what is happening. The Europeans have greatly increased their military spending.
Donald Trump has also estranged supporting leaders he had in Europe. Notice one example:
“It is clear that, with Donald Trump, I thought things would be easier, given our convergence on immigration and woke culture. But things turned out differently.”, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni told to the New York Times, setting out her view of the difficult relations that have developed over time between her government and the Washington administration. https://www.euronews.com/my-europe/2026/08/21/giorgia-meloni-says-i-thought-it-would-be-easier-with-trump-new-york-times-reports
Some see that as Europe will increase, the USA’s global role will decrease:
19 August 2026
NATO continues to prepare for life without the United States, at least as the dominant alliance member. “Europeans are already backfilling what the U.S. cannot any longer promise,” explained Secretary-General Mark Rutte.
America’s foreign policy establishmentarians have long worried about losing influence as a result. Indeed, by driving Europe away from America, Donald Trump may be inadvertently spurring creation of a serious counterweight to Washington. As CNN Fareed Zakaria warned: “As Europe’s spending increases, the continent will become less dependent on the U.S., and less deferential to it.”
American policymakers, he added, might therefore regret the disappearance of the continent as a military backwater governed by obsequious nonentities, which served as a convenient base for U.S. troops to operate around the globe.
The rise of Europe as an independent power will almost certainly transform international politics. …
If the Europeans, and especially the EU, can no longer rely on Washington’s military umbrella, they will have to do more for their own security. …
An equally important benefit would be to reduce America’s ability to meddle around the world … https://responsiblestatecraft.org/trump-europe-independence/
Yes, USA influence is in the process of weakening. That is another unintended consequence of Donald Trump’s statements and actions.
Consider also the following from last month related to the NATO summit in Turkey:
U.S. military leadership under Trump wants Europe to take responsibility for its own security and rely less on the United States. https://www.npr.org/2026/07/07/nx-s1-5884055/trumps-nato-pressure-campaign-continues-as-summit-begins
Somewhat related to that, a reader sent me a link to the following YouTube video by Fareed Zakaria:
How Trump accidentally strengthened Europe
